The Invincible Iron Man
by Ray Battlemonger
Summary: A new history of Iron Man starting from after his origin. Iron Man tries to live up to his name while battling a gallery of criminals and madmen.
1. Default Chapter

_While in the jungles of Africa, Tony Stark was out testing one of his weapons, used for fighting terrorism. He accidentally stepped on a trap and the following events led him to adopt the guise of..._

The Invincible Iron Man! #1: The Raid of the Barracuda

He was one of the wealthiest. He had an incredible and imaginative mind. He dated the best of society. He seemed to have everything going for him. In his other identity, he flew above New York City, striking fear into the hearts of those who menace society. He looked invincible. Both identities gave him the envy of millions. But billionaire industrialist Tony Stark, also known as the new superhero Iron Man, wasn't as lucky as people thought.

In his heart were the remnants of a terrorist booby trap which he accidentally triggered in Africa. The metal remnants got closer to his heart as he was taken prisoner by the terrorists. Fortunately, he had found the help of another captive scientist, Dr. Wen, a Chinese man visiting Africa. He helped make special transistorized armor for Stark to survive while their captors weren't watching and the industrialist wrecked the camp, but not before Dr. Wen was shot dead. Now Tony Stark was in America as Iron Man, a human fighting machine armed with repulsor blasts.

Now he walked towards his office, saying good morning to his secretary and sometimes advisor Virginia "Pepper" Potts, a young but efficient woman who he suspected of having slight romantic feelings for him. Her nickname "Pepper" came from her freckled face, although she could be fairly attractive. He sat down in his office and thought about what his next business move would be. Stock prices were high and his products were selling. What could make Stark Industries better, or should his company just coast along with its comfortable profits?

Pepper Potts called him on his office phone.

"Dr. George Shapanka is on the line Mr. Stark."

"I'll answer him."

Tony waited a little then heard a voice. "Hey, Mr. Stark, I think I should get paid more for my efforts! I'm one of the main reasons that this company is in the top three."

"Look, Mr. Shapanka," Tony answered."It's been a while since you've come up with anything groundbreaking to merit a raise, skilled as you are. And if I give you a raise on an already high-paying job, I'll get complaints from the other scientists. And you need to cool down on your temper. Almost any employer would have fired you for that outburst. I try to be patient because you are indeed one of my best scientists. I'm sorry, but until you come up with something amazing, the answer is no."

"Yes. I guess it's useless arguing with you."

George Shapanka, an expert at cryogenics, was obviously jealous of Tony. The millionaire sighed. Everybody though he had it easy. True, he could just sit on his fortune and let everybody else do his work for him, and he was on top with his life a month ago, but since the incident in Africa he was in danger of dying at any moment. Tony looked at his watch. Four hours until his boat ride with his butler, the well-trusted Edwin Jarvis, and some other businessmen. Suddenly he felt great pressure and pain. He quickly threw off his top clothes, getting weaker by the moment. Out of his iron breastplate extended a cord with a plug, which inserted into a panel on the wall. He felt his energy slowly restore. Was this the way he was going to live? With his life on the line every six or seven hours?

_**Manhattan Bay**_

Tony Stark and his fellow businessmen waved at the cheering crowds. They were celebrating the installment of a highly sophisticated guard tower on Ellis Island. This tower would be able to detect enemy planes from growing terrorist organizations such as Hydra and blast them out of the air. After they were well on their way, Tony went to his butler, Jarvis.

"Is the champagne ready?"

"Quite, sir. Is there anything else that you would need?"

"No, nothing at all." He stared out at the waters. "This guard tower's going to perform ensure more security from these new terrorist organizations that are popping up. New York is going to be safe.

As Tony turned to ask for some ice cream from one of the waiters, a loud voice was heard, evidently coming from a loudspeaker.

"Everyone, drop your valuables and stay where you are! This is the Barracuda, scourge of the east coast!"

Tony let his ice cream plop to the floor and ran below deck before the pirates saw him. These pirates were led, as said, by the Barracuda, a man in a black sweater and a black jacket, armed with a sword and a machine gun. He wore an eye patch and there were spikes on his large boots. His crew was well-armed and piloted several boats which easily blended in with their surroundings.

The pirates jumped on board, grouping together the people on the boat. Three despicable raiders rushed below deck, ready with their machine guns. Tony Stark hid in a closet, charging up his Iron Man suit. Soon he was ready for action. When one of the three pirates opened the closet door, he fired a low-intensity repulsor blast, knocking out the man. The two behind him fired at the armored superhero, but their bullets bounced off.

"Let's get out of here, Jasper!" yelled one as he emptied his cartridge. Iron Man lunged forward and grabbed him, easily throwing him into his partner. Iron Man's transistorized armor gave him at least ten times the strength of a normal man. He fired up his jet-boots and flew up out of the boat, blasting back a quartet of the Barracuda's men. Their leader seemed frustrated.

"It's that new armored superhero, Iron Man! Distract him, men, while I get that gun from the black market!"

One short minion snapped a grenade off his belt, activated it, and threw it at the red-and-gold avenger, actually hitting him, but only sending him flying back a few feet.

"Uh-uh! I don't think your weapons are really going to help you right now. You'd be much better off in prison."

Iron Man fired a repulsor blast out of each hand, blasting back more sea-raiders. "Now to look for your boss."

He flew towards one of the pirate boats and saw the Barracuda with a long-barreled and strange-looking device, which resembled a rocket launcher.

"AIM's been giving me some pretty damn good toys lately, like this high-intensity laser-launcher thingie. Eat your own medicine, iron s-t!"

Iron Man was knocked back into the Manhattan water as a large red laser hit him. He easily flew out of the water, but his stomach was smarting from the blast. A smaller pirate-boat with a large machine gun came into view, chattering away at him with its deadly ammunition. The golden knight flew toward the boat, dodging the gun blasts. He rammed through the boat, sending it occupants splashing into the New York waters. Iron Man returned to his boat, where more men appeared with guns, but he used his magnetic abilities to twist up their barrels. "What's happening to our guns?" one yelped. "I don't care! Run!" exclaimed another. The jumped off the ship and started swimming away.

The Barracuda looked on in immense anger, cursing out his men and calling them cowards. "You'll pay for the damage you're causing me, you trash can!' He fired his weapon again, but this time Iron Man swerved out of the path of the laser, delivering his own destructive blast. The Barracuda went flying into a refreshment table on the boat. Most men would have been knocked out, but this raider was endurable and he pointed his gun at a man, grabbing him.

"Let my men go with their loot, or this person gets it!"

Iron Man gasped under his expressionless helmet. It was Edwin Jarvis. He watched helplessly as the pirates got away with Jarvis. They were going to keep him as a hostage until they were far away. Then they would probably do something terrible to him, if the reports of the Barracuda's ruthlessness were true. Iron Man stood on the deck of the boat, secretly charging up his repulsor blasts. If he hit the right spots, the Barracuda would be sent falling onto the deck of his pirate-boat and Jarvis would be saved from a bullet wound or worse.

3...2...1...NOW!

Red repulsor blasts hit the boat, causing the man with the eye patch to fall on his knees. Jarvis quickly knocked over a big, brutish raider by him with a hard right and soon the pirate gang was in the hands of Iron Man.

One hour later the sea raiders were on their way to jail, many of them having been plucked out of the harbor.

_**The Office**_

Tony Stark slept on his chair. It had been a short, but wild fight against the Barracuda and his pirate gang. He was now having a good rest. In his sub-consciousness he wondered what George Shapanka would say if he knew that the millionaire, who was greatly envied, was in constant danger of death thanks to sharp fragments in his body.

It seemed that Tony Stark would be destined to live as an endangered man for the rest of his life.

_Next: The Cold Wrath of Blizzard!_

Note 1: These comics take place after _Tales of Suspense_ #39 (with the origin updated of course)

Note 2: In the original Marvel timeline, Iron Man's first foe was Gargantuas, a giant machine disguised as a Neanderthal.

Note 3: The Barracuda appeared in the adventures of the Human Torch in _Strange Tales_ as a throw-a-way ofe of the month. He later reappeared with super powers and a mutated body.


	2. The Wrath of Blizzard

Well, I guess I can go ahead with the rest of this story. So far Iron Man has faced the Barracuda shortly after his creation.

_While in the jungles of Africa, Tony Stark was testing one of his weapons, used for fighting terrorism. He accidentally stepped on a trap and the following events led him to adopt the guise of..._

The Invincible Iron Man! #2: The Wrath of Blizzard

George Shapanka was furious. Instead of Tony Stark giving him a raise, a guard tower got all the attention. So what that it helped stop a plot by HYDRA? The bearded scientist opened a drawer and pulled out a black costume with white patterns around the eye-pieces.

He then opened a closet and got some white boots and gloves. He put the clothes on and then tightly strapped a white pack to his back. This pack was one of his many wonders. Shapanka's specialty was cryogenics and this pack channeled special energy through him. Under his costume his body turned white with ice, but he didn't feel the cold. This pack was the best thing he ever made.

Now he would attack Tony Stark

_**Stark's Office**_

Tony walked pass secretary Virginia "Pepper" Potts once more. She seemed to have put extra makeup on. She seemed excited as he smiled and said, "Pepper". But his next words displeased her. "Could you tell Caroline I'll be early at the race today? I'm leaving right now."

Pepper's face reddened as she answered, "Yes, Mr. Stark. Her tone of voice was a little harsh. Tony turned and left the room. He was on the way to a car race, and he was one of the participants.

_**Later**_

George Shapanka was still in his costume, approaching Mr. Stark's office with cold footsteps. He reached the door and a white ball formed around his left hand. He pulled his ice-weapon back, his body getting tense. Then he struck a hard blow to the door and it was smashed into flying splinters.

Pepper Potts seemed shock at the sight of the masked villain and was just about to yell for help when she was frozen still. Yes, Shapanka had frozen her. Now he formed a battering ram with the help of his cold-pack, slamming down the door to the room where Stark was. But he wasn't there.

The cold-hearted villain screamed in anger as alarms sounded. Two security guards charged him, but were frozen (literally) in their tracks by a gesture from Shapanka. The scientist fired some icicles at the wall, forming a message, and left on an ice-board.

_**The Race**_

Tony Stark passed car number nine. Now he was in third place and there was only one lap to go. His orange-and-yellow vehicle tried to pass the black racer in front of him, but the latter kept moving from side to side, blocking any attempts to get past. Tony knew that his date, Caroline Palmer, was in the crowds watching. He had to impress her.

The second place driver was surprised when Stark whizzed his racer right past him. One car to go. The man in first place unexplainably had engine troubles and his car slowed down. Tony tried to turn to the side so as to not hit the vehicle, but he himself ended up hitting a wall, his race car bursting into flames.

The millionaire gasped as smoke filled the air. His helmet was cracked and useless, so he threw it away. It wouldn't be long before the flames from his car consumed him. Suddenly a tall man grabbed him and pulled him away from danger. It was a frowning man with brown hair and a black suit.

As the wreckage's flames were extinguished, Tony Stark thanked his savior.

"Thank you, Mr. uh..."

"Hogan, 'Happy' Hogan. I'm called that 'cause I never smile. I don't get that though."

"Well, thank you, sir. How about a reward? Is there anything you really want or need?"

"Yeah, a job. I haven't found one in a while." Hogan was still frowning.

"How does being my chauffeur sound?"

The tall man thought for while, and then replied. "Okay, just so long that it pays well." He was still frowning.

"Why the face? You just got a good job! You should be smiling!"

"This is my smile!"

Tony was confused, but he decided not to think about Hogan's expression any more.

_**Stark's Office**_

Tony Stark gasped. Pepper and two guards had claimed that they had been frozen and in the wall were words that were melting. They read like this:

**TONY STARK, YOU WILL YET MEET THE WRATH OF BLIZZARD!**

"Blizzard?" he asked a detective.

"Yes, some new super-criminal or something like that. He apparently has the power to shoot out ice and freeze things. I'd watch out. I'll get some men to protect you."

"No thanks, officer. I'll use my good old bodyguard: Iron Man."

_**The Guard Tower**_

Iron Man flew his way to the recently set-up guard tower. On top of it was Blizzard, demanding that Stark come.

"So Iron Man has come to battle me! Well, I'll prove that my cold-pack is better than Stark's inventions!"

The super-villain created a whip of ice, lashing out at the approaching crimefighter. The whip went around Iron Man's right boot ankle and he was reeled in to Blizzard who put the superhero back into the sky with a large ball. Iron Man regained his balance and fired a repulsor blast at his enemy, who stopped it from reaching him with an ice shield.

Blizzard created a slide and went down it. Now he was on the ground and he was firing white, deadly darts at his foe. The darts did minimal damage to Iron Man's armor, but enough hit him, his heart-saving device could malfunction. Tony fired barraged Blizzard with repulsor blasts, forcing the cold menace to run for cover.

"Come out, Blizzard!"

"I'll oblige to that, hero!"

Blizzard formed an enormous mace around his right hand, its white spikes nice and sharp. He whammed Iron Man, sending the armored avenger skidding across the nearest street. A heavy stream of ice started hitting Tony relentlessly. But he wasn't beaten.

He used his magnetic rays built into his gloves to beak the supports of a nearby building. Blizzard had to stop and get out of the way of the falling bricks and beams. When the villain stopped his escape, a red fist slammed his face. The cold-hearted man held his head in pain.

"You'll pay for that you tin meddler!"

"Tin? I'm wearing iron, Joe!"

The superhero kicked Blizzard and sent him crashing through the roof of a warehouse. He rushed into the warehouse and dodged a volley of darts. He then flew above an ice-hard fist.

Blizzard then seemed to get smarter. He concentrated and started freezing Iron Man. The armored avenger was shocked when he couldn't move. Blizzard ran off laughing maniacally. "Stark will pay now!"

The villain didn't realize that Tony Stark was Iron Man and he was on his way to Stark's plant again.

_**Later**_

Tony Stark was still feeling a little chilly. After being unfrozen as Iron Man, he left the area, recharged his chest armor, and came back as Tony Stark. Around him were "Happy" Hogan and Pepper.

"Hey, boss, I'll drive you home."

"Thanks, Hogan."

Soon the trio was speeding along in a rather expensive car. When they reached the Stark plant, they found mayhem. Blizzard was destroying expensive equipment.

"Hogan, wait here," said Tony. "I have to get Iron Man."

"Okay, boss. Say, how come you're clutching at your heart!"

Tony didn't answer. The shrapnel was starting to move for his pumping organ again. He quickly rushed into a room, charging up his life-saving device and opening his suitcase to get the rest of his evil-smashing attire on. Soon he was Iron Man again.

Blizzard saw him coming and fired a large volley of darts. Iron Man blasted most of them with his repulsor blasts. He couldn't afford getting more damage to his still unrepaired suit.

"So blasted my darts, eh? Well then, take this!" To emphasize his words, Blizzard started freezing up the armored avenger again. But Tony Stark quickly fired at Blizzard, causing him to stop. He then used his transistorized strength to break free from the thin coating of hard ice.

"I've defeated you before, Iron Man and I can do it again!"

"Not this time, frostbutt," retorted the superhero as he dodged a large spiked ball. "This time you're going to jail!"

He knocked over Blizzard and started punching him, pulling his blows. He got tougher when it became obvious that the icy criminal his own kind of armor. That armor was ice. Iron Man set his repulsors on full-blast, but Blizzard formed giant ice-fists and slammed him back. Fortunately, the hero quickly regained his balance and blasted his enemy hard, shredding his costume and cold-pack.

The ice one George Shapanka dissolved and his true identity was revealed. Iron Man was surprised and angered. Some security guards grabbed the bearded man. "I'll have my revenge, Iron Man! You'll see!"

_**Outside Stark's Room**_

"Come on, Pepper! I'm the best guy you can go on a date with!"

"For the umpteenth time no, Mr. Hogan! I'd much rather go out with Mr. Stark!"

"Ah, you know he'd never go out with you."

"You frowning freak! Someday he'll realize how attractive I am! You just wait!"

"Fine! Fine! If that's the way you want to act.

"Happy" Hogan left the room. Soon his boss would be facing more problems, and they would be worse.

_Next, a two-parter entitled: Money is Power!_

Note: Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan, and Blizzard all first appeared in _Tales of Suspense_ #39 (Blizzard was called Jack Frost then).


	3. Money is Power, Part 1

Well, JudoDave, I hope you meant the super-villain Black Knight, because he's coming up.

_While in the jungles of Africa, Tony Stark was out testing one of his weapons, used for fighting terrorism. He accidentally stepped on a trap and the following events led him to adopt the guise of..._

The Invincible Iron Man! #3: Money is Power Part 1

Money is power. The good can use it. One example is Tony Stark. He gives a lot of his money to charity and the needy. With his wealth he aims to advance mankind.

Money is power. The evil can use it. One example is Justin Hammer. He seeks to advance his own wealth, only giving money to improve his reputation. He would do anything to become the richest man.

_**Hammer's Mansion**_

Justin Hammer sipped his coffee, reading the business paper. Stark Industries was making more money again. The gray-haired man threw the newspaper onto the floor in anger. He must find a way to destroy Tony Stark. He thought about the situation for a while, until he came up with a solution.

He picked up a phone, dialed some numbers, a listened to a beautiful foreign voice. "Hello, this is Madame Natasha speaking."

"Madame, this is Justin Hammer. I have a job for you."

_**A Ball**_

Tony Stark was enjoying the ball. He was hosting it and there were so much prominent people. Henry Pym, a scientist, was dancing with Janet Van Dyne, his fiancée. Obadiah Stone was scratching his bald head while talking to Kyle Richmond. What caught his attention the most a beautiful Russian woman and a mustachioed Englishman.

"May I have the pleasure? I am Tony Stark, the host of this ball." he asked as held out his hand. The Englishman shook it. "I'm Nathaniel Garrett, descendant of the medieval legend the Black Knight, and this is Madame Natasha from Russia.

As Tony Stark shook hands with the brown-haired lady, he studied her. She wore a fashionable black dress and her arms seemed to have some muscles in them while still looking delicate.

Suddenly Justin Hammer intervened. "Excuse me, Mr. Stark. I have an appointment with this fine young lady." The corrupt businessman smirked as he led Madame Natasha away and started dancing with her.

Mr. Stark started feeling a little lovesick, so he secretly prepared some special hearing devices he used as Iron Man to eavesdrop on Natasha. He was shocked when he heard the following conversation.

"What am I supposed to do, Mr. Hammer?"

"Find the plans for Stark's latest projects and then destroy the machinery... do it tonight. That should put me at the top."

"And what is my pay?"

"Oh, I should say $300,000,000."

"I'll take the job."

Tony went out of the room. Norman Osborn, leader of Oscorp, tried to stop him for a conversation, but the man wearing a green suit was distracted by J. Jonah Jameson. This enabled Tony to get to his car. Jarvis and Hogan asked if he needed anything, the latter wanting to drive the millionaire. Mr. Stark said no and jumped into a car, speeding towards the Stark plant.

_**The Stark Plant**_

Iron Man waited for Madame Natasha. He didn't want to harm her, just talk her out of destroying his company. The armored avenger was starting to feel sleepy, but he refused to give in. As his eyes started to close some, they popped open. A red beam was hitting his security camera, malfunctioning them. A black female figure swung in, noticing the superhero.

'So you must be Tony Stark's bodyguard! Well, it does not matter!" She exclaimed in her Russian accent. "Prepare to meet death at the hands of the black Widow!"

The female mercenary swung on a rope-line of hers and surprisingly kicked the heavily armored Iron Man into an electronic panel. Electricity swirled everywhere and the Black Widow was surprised when the man seemed unharmed.

"How—"

"Simple, Madame. I run on transistors, so electricity doesn't do much to be unless it's concentrated in mass energy. The black Widow recovered from her surprise and snatched some papers off Stark's desk, swinging out of the window she came in through. Iron Man lunged after her, but staggered when a heavy grenade was thrown at his face and exploded.

"Alright, Widow! I've been trying to not be so rough to you since you're a woman, but now I'm going to get you!"

"Not quite, Iron Man!" shouted the Black widow as she exploded an experimental tank with another grenade and jumped onto a warehouse roof. "The black widow spider has a deadly sting and I have copied it! Here!"

She shot a black dart from a wristband, but it broke against the metal armor of Iron Man.

"Impossible," she said under her breath.

"Now, lady, I'm going to blast the roof from under your feet!" Red repulsor beams destroyed the roof that Madame Natasha was standing on and the beautiful woman started falling. But she fired a cable that stuck to the roof and swung out in an impossible maneuver, escaping a charge from Iron Man.

"What th—Ungh!" A grenade hit the avenger's head and knocked him onto the floor. The black Widow fled from the factories and power plant, knowing that she would probably be caught if she stayed. She did manage to destroy a few more pieces of valuable equipment, but not enough to end Tony Stark's company.

_**Justin Hammer's Mansion**_

"Your room is down the hall three doors to the right, Mr. Garrett."

"Thank you, Mr. Hammer."

Nathaniel Garrett entered his room and closed the door behind him. He then opened a suitcase, in which was a medieval knight's helmet.

_**Stark's Office**_

"What happened here, Mr. Stark?" asked Jarvis, the butler.

"Iron Man had a fight with a woman," Stark answered, not saying the woman's name. "She was driven off."

"Happy" Hogan came in with his usual frown. "Hey, boss, I was wondering if I can actually drive you somewhere. I'm you chauffeur, ain't I?"

"Sure, Hogan. Drive me to my mansion."

The two got into a sleek car and drove away from the plant.

**_Justin Hammer's Mansion Again_**

"Mr. Garrett, what is all the noise about? If you keep it up I'll send you to a hotel instead of this free room you're having! For heaven's sake answer me!"

Justin Hammer was angry. First Madame Natasha failed, and now Nathaniel Garrett was doing noisy things in his room like a five year old. He finally opened the door. "Mr. Garrett, for the last—" He was cut off in mid-sentence. Standing before him was a winged horse, neighing and stomping its hooves, and on top of it was a medieval knight in black armor with a long lance.

"I, my angry friend, am the Black Knight! And I'll prove that I'm the right one to hire for the destruction of Tony Stark by destroying... IRON MAN!"

_Next, the Black Knight strikes in: Money is Power, Part Two!_

Note 1: The Black Widow first appeared in _Tales of Suspense_ #52

Note 2: The Black Knight first appeared in _Tales to Astonish_ #53

Note 3: Justin Hammer first appeared in _Invincible Iron Man_ #120


	4. Money is Power, Part 2

Welcome back, readers! The battles in this issue of the Invincible Iron Man are going to be a little longer (I should have worked more on the battles with Blizzard). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

_While in the jungles of Africa, Tony Stark was out testing one of his weapons, used for fighting terrorism. He accidentally stepped on a trap and the following events led him to adopt the guise of..._

The Invincible Iron Man! #4: Money is Power, Part 2

Tony Stark started feeling weak again. Dang shrapnel. He plugged his chest plate into an outlet and felt his energy get restored. He was ready to go out and fight crime again.

_**Hours Later**_

Iron Man had found only a few criminals. He didn't like it. It was too quiet. As he searched below a winged horse and a black rider flew from around a building corner. The figure aimed his lance at the flying avenger, pressing a button. A red beam came out and suddenly the red-and-gold superhero was plummeting to the ground.

Stark's armor saved him and he looked around, but saw nothing unusual. All he knew was that someone had attacked him.

_**Stark's Office**_

Edwin Jarvis set down Tony Stark's tea and walked off. His master seemed to have some long absences lately. Maybe he had a secret date, or perhaps he was superhero. The latter sounded ridiculous. Tony Stark had the money to make the iron Man suit, but he certainly didn't want to get killed and have his company get set back.

But Tony Stark was a superhero, and he was wondering what hit him earlier that day. Whoever it was didn't want to be seen yet. Dr. Doom? HYDRA? Loki? Blizzard? All had ranged weapons or powers, but it didn't feel like one of Blizzard's moves and Loki probably wouldn't bother with him. Maybe it was a new super-criminal.

He decided to forget about it and concentrate on his work. He had great ideas for a fast armored tank with a new system for finding terrorists. He just needed to know how it was going to work perfectly. After an hour of wracking his brains he came up with, hopefully, a solution, and stopped his work for the day.

_**In Downtown New York**_

Iron Man gazed down at the speeding cars on the streets below. It felt good to be free of traffic. Well, almost free. A superhero in a web-patterned costume almost got hit by the transistorized avenger.

"Whoa! Watch what you're doing, shellhead! Yeesh, first the Vulture, now Iron Man! I'm getting tired of running into flying super-types!"

Iron Man wondered about how crimefighters were so common in New York. Just about everybody living here saw at least one in a week. Thor, Spider-Man, Angel, and the Human Torch. They were so common to natives of the city. Unfortunately, the superheroes attracted super-villains. Mad scientists like Dr. Octopus and Egghead were more interested in their experiments than in human lives. Common criminals fortunate enough to have special gear or powers, such as the Barracuda and Sandman, were obsessed with whipping their enemies' behinds. And cosmic and mythic menaces like Loki and the Skrulls kept trying to take over the planet while ridding it of their defenders.

Iron man started flying lower, looking for lawbreakers. He looked up and halted. A man on a winged horse gazed at him, his steed standing on the roof of a candy factory.

"Prepare to meet your fate at the hands of the Black Knight! My winged horse and my ray-shooting lance will destroy you! Nothing can stop me!"

"Okay, Black Knight! You must have been the one who took that potshot at me earlier today! Prepare to go to jail!"

"I'm not going to jail, fool!"

The horse suddenly jumped off the roof, flapping its wings and neighing loudly. The people in the streets below looked up and were amazed at the sight of the black animal. Iron Man fired a repulsor blast at the Black Knight, who ducked. Out of the tip of the man's lance came a sharp blade, which he thrust at the transistorized superhero. The Black Widow's dart didn't do any damage to Iron Man's chest-plate, but the lance-blade actually penetrated the surface.

The Black Knight pulled out his deadly weapon, since it couldn't go very far into his foe's armor. His horse flew some distance, and then was ordered to turn around and charge Iron Man. The avenger got his jet-boots to full power and up he went, out of the way of his wicked enemy.

He took in the appearance of the Black Knight. His breastplate had a crossed bones and a skull painted on it. His helmet had very small eye slits, and his fancy black clothing and armor showed his menace.

"Where did you get the fancy duds, lance, and winged horse from? Hollywood?"

"The horse, my "friend", is from another dimension! I used special equipment to summon it and tamed it, since I am a good horse master! The rest I made here on earth! I must prove that the Black Knight is far more superior than you, you iron fool!"

It soon became obvious that the Black Knight's lance contained many weapons. As Iron Man grabbed the modern knight, blades came out of its sides and the super-villain swung and sawed at his attacker, scratching up his armor badly. It looked like Tony Stark was going to have to fix his blasted suit again.

The blades went back into the lance and a faint whirring and clicking sound, audible only to people with advanced hearing devices, was heard. Gas suddenly shot out of the tip of the lance and Iron Man was forced to activate his eye coverings, stopping the puke-colored substance from coming into his face.

The Black Knight swore and simply had his horse kick Iron Man with its hooved feet. The armored hero was sent flying onto a rooftop. Before he could get up, the horse crashed down on him with its feet, again and again. Getting tired of the pounding that he was receiving to his life-support armor, the golden avenger fired two repulsor blasts at the winged mammal's body, causing it to back away.

He then turned on is jet-boots and lunged at the Black Knight, knocking him off from the back of his steed. He continuously punched the armored man into the hard roof. This medieval-looking character and his pet were as resistant as he was to damage. The Black Knight, who had started this fierce fight, managed to punch his opponent's mask hard and send him onto his back.

Iron man got up and the Black Knight opened into another short speech. 'Now you'll learn that I fight as well on foot as I do on horseback!" He kicked the Stark Plant bodyguard into a lightning rod, which was crushed. News helicopters arrived, full of reporters and cameramen clamoring for good views. Iron Man dodged another kick from his foe and delivered his own, right to the villain's chin.

Before he could take advantage of his staggering adversary, Iron Man was attacked by the winged horse, who dented his helmet with a hard blow. The armored avenger fell stunned. The Black Knight recovered from the transistorized kick he had received and grabbed his lance. He waited for his opponent to get back up on his feet, and when that happened, he released a red laser blast, sending the mighty defender of New York flying backwards and over the ledge of the roof.

Iron Man landed with a hard thud, and slowly got back up, his new arch-foe laughing his heart out. "Hope you like my next move," he muttered, gritting his teeth under his mask. He stretched out his hands, using the magnetic devices in his gloves. Soon enormous cars were spinning around him. His company would pay for the damaged property of the bystanding civilians.

The Black Knight widened his eyes under his small eye-holes as metal vehicles were flung towards him. He was bowled over by the cars, landing on his stomach. Iron Man flew to the top of the roof. "Prepare to get conked out, Black Knight!"

"You haven't beaten me, you twit!"

The evil man dodged a repulsor blast, grabbed his lance, and fired his red ray. Iron Man was once again heading towards the roof, but this time he managed to stop from falling onto the street below. He jumped forward, his super-strength coming down on the Black Knight. But his triumph was short-lived. The winged horse interfered once again, ramming him off its master. The Black Knight jumped onto his winged steed and, having his lance-blades prepared, slashed Iron Man across the eyes, damaging the protective coverings.

He then unleashed his gas. The superhero closed his eyes, but the fumes got to his nose and he soon passes out. The Black Knight, alias Nathaniel Garrett, flew off on his other-dimensional creature, glad that he had fought and beaten the invincible Iron Man.

_**Justin Hammer's Mansion**_

"You said that you would destroy Iron Man!"

"Sorry, Mr. Hammer, but I decided to let him live with the fact that he finally had met his match. With my trusty horse Aragorn, nothing can stop me. Now am I hired?"

"No, I...well, I guess you are. But annihilate the New York Stark Plant by tomorrow night or I'll hire someone else!"

_**Stark's Office the Following Morning**_

Pepper Potts smiled as Tony Stark came in. He had just gone through another attack from the shrapnel and was still shaken by his defeat at the hands of the Black Knight. He looked at his secretary and asked, "Could you tell Mrs. Angelina that we're going to have to go on a date on another night? I have some important business to do.'

"I most certainly will, sir."

Tony sat down in his office, took off his shirt, and looked at his beaten chest plate. He had repaired some of it, but it sill had blade-marks all over it. Another beating like in the last battle and he would surely die with his life-supporting armor severely damaged. He got an idea and opened a vault in his room, taking out a square piece of metal. This hard substance would act as a shield.

_**The Plant**_

Workers screamed as the Black Knight blasted apart their work. The man on the winged horse laughed as an electrical apparatus exploded and showered sparks on the fleeing men. Then Iron Man came.

'What? You dare challenge me again? I've beaten you before and I cn do it again!"

"Not this time, B. K.! I'm ready for you!"

The Black Knight laughed again as he fired his red ray-blast. Iron Man used his makeshift shield to block the blast and then unleashed his right repulsor beam at full power. But the Black Knight had also brought his own shield this time and deflected the blast, firing his red ray again. Iron Man was hit in the right arm and he was now very angered.

He held his hands together and released a large repulsor blast, which hit the Black Knight in the shield, but force the villain to have his horse fly backwards to stop him from falling off. Iron Man flew very fast and soon he had punched his adversary in the helmet, causing him to fall off.

The horse went down and broke its master's fall. But before the Black Knight could get comfortably on his steed, Iron man punched him off again, this time grabbing the falling criminal again. The Black Knight still had his lance, which had a built in grappling hook. He broke his descent and then jumped onto the Stark Industries grounds.

Iron Man also landed and received a kick in the stomach. Before the Black Knight could hit him again, he kicked the villain in his own stomach, sending him flying into a wall. The winged horse came down to beat Iron Man, but he put a repulsor blast on a high level and knocked it out.

Enraged, the Black Knight grabbed him from behind and flipped him over, stomping on his foe with his heavy boots. Iron man was starting to feel pain and lashed out with a fist, bowling over his opponent.

He grabbed the Black Knight at the neck and slammed him into a wall. He then pounded him in the head and started beating him senseless. That's when the super-villain activated a spike hidden in one of his gloves. He stabbed Iron Man in the chest plate, and the superhero started feeling pain around his heart. He quickly head butted his enemy into unconsciousness and ran.

_**Stark's Bedroom**_

Tony watched the television, his life-support system plugged into a wall. If he hadn't beaten the Black Knight out of consciousness, he would either have died from the shrapnel or have had to run and let his foe escape or pursue him. The television was reporting his battle with the Black Knight.

"Iron Man beat the Black Knight but mysteriously ran away, even though he worked as a bodyguard at Stark Industries."

Tony turned off the TV set, and went on his back on his bed, closing his eyes. Thirty miles away from him, Justin hammer cursed at his television set.

_Next: In the Clutches of the Mandarin!_


	5. In the Clutches of the Mandarin

Hello! Sorry that I haven't really worked on this story for a while, but I was taking a break with some other projects. If you want to see those, go one my profile and take a look at my stories. Now remember, if you want a certain super-villain, just e-mail me or ask me in a review. Thank you.

_While in the jungles of Africa, Tony Stark was out testing one of his weapons, used for fighting terrorism. He accidentally stepped on a trap and the following events led him to adopt the guise of..._

The Invincible Iron Man! #5: In the Clutches of the Mandarin!

"Happy" Hogan drove Tony Stark to his private plane. "Where are you goin' again, boss?"

"To China. Some of my inventions were stolen by some of their agents and now we're going to discuss things."

"Yeah, should I come with?"

"No thanks, Hogan, Rhodes will be with me.

Tony went into the plane. He started to take a nap as Rhodes, an African-American pilot, started the vehicle and it went off into the air. It was going to be a while before they reached China.

**The Fortress of the Mandarin**

The Chinese general and his aides were scared. The Mandarin and his servants were the only men in deep China who were not frightened of the Communist regime. The general and his aides were walking down a hallway, sweating with perspiration. Suddenly they were hit by a yellow beam and the screaming soldiers were being levitated. They were dumped off into a large room.

In the room sat on a robed, bearded man who uttered the words, "Kneel before the Mandarin or suffer his wrath!"

The soldiers who had used fear on the populace so many times before now whimpered as they kneeled. "Please don't kill us, great ring-wielder!"

"Stop whining, you fools! Now what did you come her for?"

"An American businessman named Tony Stark is coming to take back some weapons we stole from him. Since you are in no way connected t the government, we are offering you extra men and land in exchange for the death of this Mr. Stark."

"I will do it, but only because you offer me more power! I care nothing for your pitiful government! Now leave!"

The officers scrambled for any exit they could find. The Mandarin pressed a button and a door opened, revealing a bald servant. 'What is it, your majesty?"

"Send two assassins to kill Mr. Tony Stark, an American businessman. He will be landing near Beijing."

"I will done, your excellency."

**Beijing Hours Later**

Tony Stark stepped out of the plane. There were a few American politicians waiting for him to come at the government palace. Tony waved goodbye to Rhodes and, carrying his suitcase, walked off down a street, showing his government pass to two soldiers.

He was almost at his destination when two stealthy men jumped out. He used his fighting skills, which he developed as Iron man to whack one of the assailants with his suitcase. He then ducked a sweeping sword and kneed the second attacker in the groin. He pulled out his pistol and shoved him up against a wall.

"Who sent you?" he asked aggressively.

"Don't kill me!"

"Who sent you?"

"If you promise to bring me back to America safely, I will tell you!"

"Agreed. Now who sent you?"

"The Mandarin!" answered the assassin, handing him a map.

Tony let go of the man, giving him directions to his plane, and then pulled out his cell phone. When he got an answer he said, "I can't make it, I'm sick. Can we have the meeting tomorrow?"

When he got a yes, he rushed back to his plane and sneaked in, recharging chest-plate and changing into Iron Man. He started flying for where the map said the Mandarin's castle was.

**The Mandarin's Fortress**

Iron Man had used his jet-boots to bring him to the Mandarin's fortress. He hoped there was a power outlet in the Mandarin's stronghold or he would run out of power and die. As he neared the Oriental structure, a missile suddenly whizzed towards him. Iron Man speedily flew out of the way and destroyed the missile with a repulsor blast. Next a laser nearly hit him.

Tony knew that he needed to go fast to avoid the deadly projectiles that were targeting him. He dodged some more missiles and lasers and crashed through the wall of the castle. When he got inside he found six Chinese men armed with guns. Rays shot out at him and Iron Man was knocked onto his back.

Before the squinty-eye men could unleash another volley, he used his magnetizing transistor gloves to pull their weapons out of their hands. He then used low-intensity repulsor rays to route the Chinese guards.

"Now where's the Mandarin?"

His answer came when a green beam hit him and locked his muscles. Now immobile, the superhero was helpless as he was turned around to meet his new opponent. It was the Mandarin, with a ring on each finger.

"So, iron fool. You are now helpless before my ten power rings. Each ring has a different purpose. For example, the ornament that I am using now makes you immobile. Now since you are Stark's bodyguard, I shall destroy you as if you were a bug."

Iron Man tried to make a retort, but he couldn't move his mouth. Finally he was released from his state and he fell onto the floor. "Alright, Fu Manchu, I'm in no mood to get killed by some robed slime ball like you."

"SLIME BALL?" The Mandarin fired a yellow blast from one of his rings and Iron Man was bowled over. The armored avenger quickly recovered and delivered a repulsor blast. At the same time the Mandarin fired another yellow blast and the two lasers clashed, causing the room to lighten up. Both combatants were temporarily blinded.

When they recovered the Mandarin started another monologue. "I still have eight rings of which each one's power you have not seen. To demonstrate…"

"Mister, I'm getting sick of your cereal box rings!" yelled Iron Man as he punched the Mandarin through a wall. The Mandarin gave himself a blue shield to soften his fall and grabbed one of his technological devices. It was a gun which, upon having its trigger pulled, released a sticky substance that trapped Iron Man to a wall.

"I have you now, American!

"Mandarin is I can break free of cement, I can certainly break free of this glue junk."

Iron Man did break free and prepared to continue the battle. Then the Mandarin went into a karate stance. "Iron Man, I am a master at many fighting styles. Let me show you how good I really am."

The Mandarin started chopping away at some metal bars with his hands. "It's all about speed, strength, and, most important of all, focus."

_If he hits me with those hands, I'm done for_ thought Iron man as he plugged his chest plate into a convenient outlet.

"Ah, I see that you need to recharge your transistorized armor. That proves that while you depend on electricity, my powers are endless!" The Mandarin prepared to chop through Iron Man's chest plate and swiped. Fortunately, the red and gold superhero managed to dodge the blow and punched the Asian menace in the face.

The Mandarin fell onto his back and growled as Iron man stopped recharging himself. The two lunged for each other grabbing each other and wrestling. The Mandarin used his knowledge of judo to throw Iron Man into the opposite wall. He then did an amazing jump-kick, plowing his opponent through stone.

Iron Man was faced with two short guards armed with ray guns. He quickly took them out with a few blows, but the distraction enabled the Mandarin to hit him with a yellow blast. The Oriental madman laughed.

"Mandarin, you should have used your metal-splitting karate chop when my back was turned, because you're not getting another chance!"

"Bah, this red beam I am using now will cause you to spin until you are too exhausted to fight!" Iron Man was surrounded by red energy and he started getting dizzy. The Mandarin stood a foot away from him, smiling at his plight.

Iron man summoned all his strength and barely managed to lash out with a fist, sending the Mandarin flying into his throne. Once again the two wrestled, firing rays at each other, kicking and elbowing, and exchanging insults.

Finally the tables turned on Iron Man when the Mandarin scratched up his chest plate. "That's it. I'd just love to know how a robed man like you can get all of this scientific and mystical stuff, but I have to go now. We'll meet again and when there's a glimmer of hope for victory."

"Come back here, Iron Man!" The Mandarin fired all of his ring-weapons at the retreating Iron Man, but the crimefighter was too fast.

**Stark's Office**

"How was your trip to China?" asked "Pepper" Potts.

"It was fine. I got my stolen inventions back."

"Did anything exciting happen?"

"Not really."

Tony Stark went to his desk and saw his deceased father's ring by photos from his past. It reminded him of the Mandarin and he threw it into a trash bin.

_Next: Meet the Melter!_

Note: The Mandarin first appeared in _Tales of Suspense_ #50


	6. Meet the Melter

Well, I'm glad to be back on _Invincible Iron Man_. Here are some responses to my reviewers (except for Sir Pent).

JudoDave: Although I've never really read anything with Hammer and Anvil, I did enough research to feature them within the next six issues. Thanks for the request.

StatickShock28: I'm glad you're reading my other Marvel stories. Thanks.

TechieRemix: Glad you like my writing style.

_While in the jungles of Africa, Tony Stark was out testing one of his weapons, used for fighting terrorism. He accidentally stepped on a trap and the following events led him to adopt the guise of..._

The Invincible Iron Man: Meet the Melter!

The criminal stuffed the gems into a sack and passed it on to his cohort. Another hood ran up to him.

"Hurry up, guys! Iron Man is comin'!"

"Huh?"

"Get into ta truck and drive like nothin' was wrong!"

Iron man suddenly landed by them. "Sorry, you idiots, but I have special hearing devices that enabled me to hear your conversation. So now I'm taking out." The criminals used crowbars and guns on the crimefighter, but they were easily knocked unconscious in twelve seconds.

"Won't the city be happy when they find out that their beloved Iron Man broke a record in taking own ten crooks in twelve seconds!

**Bruno Horgan's Mansion the Next Morning**

"My criminals are getting bumped off by Iron Man! What will it take to get rid of that armored pest?"

Bruno Horgan, corrupt businessman, threw a newspaper onto the floor.

"I need more money to get into the top ten list of New York businesses, but these blasted superheroes keep interfering!"

Horgan thought about the situation for a while and then said, "I know what I will do! I will use my scientific knowledge to bring down that iron interloper!"

**Stark's Office**

Tony looked at his watch. He was late for work. Jarvis was already in his office, preparing some coffee. The industrialist thanked his butler and dismissed him.

"Sir, before I leave I wish to inform you that you failed to arrive at Sharona's house last night." Tony groaned. Instead of attending his date he was out fighting criminals. "Tell her I'm sorry. We can gout tomorrow night."

'I wouldn't make any such plans if I were you. Knowing Sharona, she'll probably never want to see you again."

Jarvis left and Tony turned on his TV. He was surprised to see several objects that looked like melted cars and trucks. He quickly did some of his work and left his office as Iron Man. There was a new menace in town.

**On a Highway**

Iron Man came to the site where the vehicles were half-melted. "What happened here?" he asked a cop.

"We don't know. It looks like the cars and those two big trucks were hit by something from the left lane of the highway. Oh, we found a note for you."

Iron Man was given a piece of paper which had these words on it: Iron Man, meet me at the top of the Empire State Building.

The armored avenger thanked the cop and went on his way, heading for downtown Manhattan.

**Empire State Building: 2 P.M.**

Iron Man flew towards the Empire State Building. He saw a man wearing a brown cape and brown armor with his hands on his hips. On his head was a helmet from which his ears stuck out. On his chest plate was a circle which seemed to be able to emit a ray. The costumed man began to speak.

"Welcome to the place where King Kong died, Iron man! I am the Melter and, as the name suggests, you have met your worst nightmare!"

Iron man hesitated. Anyone named the Melter sounded like bad news for him.

The Melter laughed as he seemingly pressed a stud on his armor and a red ray came out and hit his heroic opponent. The armored man gasped as his red and gold covering quickly heated up and melted. Iron Man felt his life-saving chest plate nearing malfunction. He had to flee, so he jetted away, dodging the ray. The Melter laughed as the "invincible" superhero flew away.

**The Next Days**

With Iron man scared, the Melter went on a spree of destruction. He made holes in the top of armored cars with his ray. He destroyed construction projects. Before the police could shoot him he melted their guns. The Fantastic Four and Thor the thunder-god were far away on their own quests, and Spider-Man, who was secretly battling the Lizard in Florida, was nowhere to be seen. Iron Man was the last line of defense.

**Stark's Lab: 7 A.M.**

Tony had spent hours studying the nature of the Melter's ray. He finally found out about it. Much to his interest, he discovered that the ray didn't melt objects by heat, but it was actually a beam that emitted a frequency that enabled it to loosen certain molecular bonds. His ray was placed on his chest so that no one could hit it and cause it to twirl back at its firer, melting his protective armor.

Tony's plan was to make his own ray-emitter. This one would project a different frequency that would screw up the programming of the Melter's weapon. He prayed that it would work.

**Stark Plant: 4 P.M.**

The Melter struck late in the afternoon. Right now his plan was to use his ray on the plants and factories of business rivals, bringing his company near the top of the list. His melting ray hit a chemical storage building and, after melting the walls and canisters, colorful liquids spilled all over the ground, some exploding on touching each other.

That's when Iron Man came in and landed in front of the Melter. "Try to dissolve my armor this time, crook."

The super-villain was evidently over-confident as he laughed. "Ha! I can dissolve any metal! Just watch!"

The Melter's ray quickly shot out at Iron Man, hitting him. But at the same time the red and gold superhero had fired his own ray, which interfered with the transmission of the other's. When Shellhead's armor didn't melt, the Melter's eyes widened.

"What? It's impossible! How…"

"That's my secret, you over-confident loudmouth!' yelled Iron Man as he punched the Melter. The costumed villain flew threw the air and landed on his side. But he was still conscious thanks to his helmet.

The criminal got back onto his feet, now very angry. 'Maybe I can't melt you, but I sure can melt everything around you!" He made good his words, turning on his ray and randomly hitting machines and towers. Iron man rushed towards his opponent, running just fast enough to avoid getting squashed by debris.

One chunk of concrete hit him and he stumbled while the Melter climbed dup a building. "I used to be a mountain climber, Iron Man, and my cape helps me make great leaps! You can't catch me!"

Iron Man fired some repulsor rays and hit his foe, causing him to fall. The transistorized superhero grabbed him and went onto the ground. The Melter fired his ray just as they landed, managing to knock back his enemy. But Iron Man quickly got back up and punched him with his left fist, shattering his helmet. The Melter's face was uncovered and he was too beaten to resist.

"Bruno Horgan, the head of Yellowville Co.! Why did you do it?"

"Since you're going to find out anyways, I'll tell you. You ruined my secret criminal plans. But I will get my revenge someday! I will!"

Iron Man sighed as Horgan was taken away. Yet another super-villain. First he had fought a modern-day pirate, and then he had gone up against a jealous man who was colder than a freezer. There had also been a beautiful but deadly woman, a man who went around on a winged horse, a guy who collected rings so he could gain power, and a cornball who exploited his weakness.

Tony Stark was going to have to make the armor tough enough for battling the Melter.

_Next: Man of Titanium!_

Note: The Melter first appeared in _Tales of Suspense_ #47


	7. Man of Titanium

Okay, I'll try to make my chapters a little longer. In this issue I'll try to have more stuff with 'Happy" Hogan and "Pepper" Potts. The super-villain won't do much till the end, which means this is going to be a two-parter.

_While in the jungles of Africa, Tony Stark was out testing one of his weapons, used for fighting terrorism. He accidentally stepped on a trap and the following events led him to adopt the guise of..._

The Invincible Iron Man! #7: Man of Titanium

"Happy" Hogan was driving Tony Stark towards the tower where the board of directors was waiting. "Hey, boss, do ya think Pepper is ever going to agree on a date with me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, every time I ask her to go to a park r to a movie, she says no. But when you ask chicks to go out with you they always say yes."

"That's because I'm rich."

"Exactly, I'd like you to give some free money so that she'll go out with me."

"I think it'll take more than money to win her, Happy. There's also the fact that you never seem to smile."

"What do you mean? I smile a lot!"

Tony looked at Happy with a confused face and then just stared ahead. Actually, he himself had wanted to date Pepper, but he didn't actually want to get involved with someone he actually liked, mainly because he has shrapnel getting near his heart and he didn't want to be involved with anyone if he was going to die and leave them.

**Storage House: 2 A.M.**

Two dark figures opened a box, looking at a large suit of armor.

"So this is the battle suit from Horgan's company?"

"Yeah, looks neat, don't ya think?"

"Sure does. I'll take it."

"Hey, I want my money first."

"Oh, I forgot."

One of the men pulled out a pistol and shot down the other. He was very large and strong and he managed to push the box into the back of a truck. A security guard came and started shooting at him, but he got away, smashing through a small fence and driving fast. The security guard grabbed a telephone.

"A man in a truck just escaped from me after stealing something in the storage house! I think it's the battlesuit!"

**The Stark Plant: 11 A.M.**

The workers looked on in awe as Iron man lifted a large piece of machinery. This superhero was making their jobs a lot easier. "Okay, boys, that's al the help I can give you. I've got to do something right now!"

The shrapnel was nearing his heart again, curse it. In ten minutes it would be serious. The transistorized superhero went into a building and plugged his armor in, feeling his energy coming back. When he put his mask back on a woman suddenly popped out of nowhere. She looked very familiar with her reddish-brown hair and dark suit.

"The Black Widow!"

"Do not worry, Iron Man! I have come to warn you of something?'

"Why would you warn me? We're enemies, remember?"

"That was then. Now I have been hired to stop a certain man. He's wearing a large, green battlesuit. I want you to help, since you are one of the most powerful superheroes."

"I guess I will, but I won't be ready for a few hours."

"I can wait. Meet me on the roof of the Daily Bugle building. And be careful around our target. He is very powerful."

**At a Weapons Test Center: 11: 30 A. M.**

Tony brushed some dust off a machine with his hand, studying its detail. The miniaturization ray was finally complete. "Good work, men," he congratulated several scientists.

"We were only too glad to do it," answered one of them.

As the workers left, Stark turned to Pepper, who had been by him the whole time. "So, Mrs. Potts, how about a date to the new amusement park?"

Pepper Potts seemed to get very excited. "W-why of course. I'd love to!"

"Good, you and Happy will have a great time there."

"What? With that frowning idiot?"

"Of course, he's actually a pretty good guy. Now I have some more business to attend to."

Tony went into a room and locked the door behind him. He opened a panel in the wall and pulled out a new Iron man suit. This one had more armor, but was just as light as the original. Attached to the left arm was a mini-missile shooter, perfect for taking out big opponents or getaway cars. In his new suit, Iron man went off to the Daily Bugle Building with confidence.

**The Daily Bugle: 1 P.M.**

Iron Man must have arrived early. The Black Widow was nowhere to be seen. The superhero sat on the roof, holding his head in his hands in a bored fashion. Suddenly a lithe figure jumped onto the roof and startled him.

"Oh, hi…"

"There's no time for greetings," said the Black Widow hurriedly. "Here, take this phone and press the red button when you spot the man. He should be easy to find."

Before Iron Man could ask a question the woman swung off. The armored avenger flew through the streets, ignoring the admiration of the civilians below. He stopped on another roof, surveying a certain street. That's when he heard glass shattering and brick crumbling. There seemed to be a stomping sound, like some two-footed elephant.

Iron Man headed in the direction of the sounds, flying low. When he turned a corner a large, armored fist, rammed into him, sending him flying into a truck. The transistorized crimefighter felt himself being lifted up and looked at the face of his attacker. There wasn't a face, but a head covered by a helmet with glowing, yellow eyes. Now he knew why the Black Widow needed help. The super-villain was a large powerhouse, his body protected by green armor. Money he had just stolen lay on the ground.

Before he could be tossed away like a rag doll, Iron Man lifted his hands and fired his repulsor rays, causing his large opponent to drop him, but only in surprise. "So, are you a big galoot, or some tiny guy who's hiding in a big shell of armor?"

"I'm not any of 'em, hero!" The green giant fired several missiles from his arms, almost hitting his foe with each one. Iron Man flew feet-first into the man that was made of… What was he made of? The large criminal was hardly affected by his assault and he delivered his own. The superhero was punched and sent spinning through the air, hitting a brick wall and smashing through it.

"This is one tough egg!" Iron man said to himself.

The super-villain's armor was made of titanium, which was superior to iron. Iron Man looked down at him, being a little scared. The man made of titanium prepared to kick away the foundations of the building that the superhero had fallen through. Iron Man flew out of the hole in the wall and remembered the special phone that the Black Widow gave him.

He pressed the red button just before he was grabbed by the leg and slammed into the pavement below him. The enormous super-villain grabbed him again and held him so that they were face-to-face.

"Okay, Iron Man. Before I go ahead and kill you, I'll tell you my name? It's Titanium Man."

"How amazing," said the iron avenger sarcastically as he fired his missile from his left arm. Titanium Man actually yelped as the missile hit him at extremely close range, his massive physique falling back onto the street. Iron Man tried to follow up on his advantage, but was immediately kicked out of the air.

**At the Amusement Park: 1:30 P.M.**

Happy and Pepper were sitting in their seats on a new rollercoaster: _The Flash_, based on a DC Comics superhero whose power was abnormal speed. "So how come you've been avoiding me all this time, Pepper?" asked Happy.

"Because you look ridiculous with that frown, Mr. Hogan. You never smile!"

'What do you mean? I'm smiling right now!"

Before Pepper could insult her date, the rollercoaster started and it went very fast. Throughout the rather scary ride, Pepper thought _I'll bet Tony is going out with one of those annoying rich girls right now, with that big handsome smile on his face!_

**The Battle: 1: 45 P.M.**

Titanium Man swung at Iron Man, but the superhero ducked, delivering his own punch. The super-villain laughed as the blow glanced harmlessly off him. He grabbed his opponent by the throat and threw him onto a car, smashing the vehicle.

"You're going to pay for all the property damage you've been causing, Titanium Man!"

"Oh, yeah? I sure don't see you getting any closer to beating me, shrimp."

"Who's a shrimp?" replied Iron Man as he put his two hands together. "You're the one who stomps around like an elephant." He fired two repulsor blasts mixed with each other. Titanium Man charged, roaring with anger. The blasts combined to form a heavy-hitting ray which hit the gargantuan super-villain and knocked him onto his back.

"How did you manage to do that?"

"I'd like to explain but I have a job of stopping super-villains like you."

Titanium Man got back onto his feet and charged at his opponent once again. However, the transistorized hero jet-booted over him, causing the villain to run into a wall. The building which had been hit by the rampage of the armored giant fell onto the criminal, burying him. He swiftly got out of the rubble.

"You think you're so hard to catch because you can fly. Well, my suit enables me to make large jumps like this!"

Titanium Man jumped into the air and knocked Iron Man to the ground. Tony considered calling the Avengers, but he learned that his Avengers Alert button on his belt had been smashed in the battle. When was the Black Widow going to come and help? He had pressed the red button.

**Justin Hammer's Mansion**

Justin Hammer hadn't been this happy in a long while. He was buying out what once was Horgan's company. With new resources, his business could soar ahead of Stark. And with Boris, one of his hired men, using Horgan's titanium battlesuit, the crushing of Iron Man was assured.

**The Battle Goes On**

Titanium Man grabbed Iron Man and threw him into the side of a truck. He plopped onto the ground, beaten very severely. But he wouldn't quit. "If I put enough power into my fist, I should be able to do…" Iron Man flew towards his enemy and gave him a hard punch. "…THIS!"

Titanium Man laughed as the blow took no effect. He fired a missile, which nicked Iron Man and caused him to fall. Before he could escape, the crimefighter was grabbed by the neck and thrust against a building. The man in front of him made a large fist with his right hand and got ready for the last strike.

"You've been lucky up to now, Iron Man. Now I'm going to punch you so hard that your brains will be splattered all over the place."

Titanium Man let loose with his punch and it seemed that the fate of Iron Man was sealed.

_Next, will Iron Man survive in: Showdown on Broadway!_

Note: The Titanium Man first appeared in _Tales of Suspense_ #69.


	8. Showdown on Broadway

Welcome back, readers! I've enabled anonymous reviews, so if you're not a member of this site, you can still say what you think of my story. Now let's get back to Iron Man and Titanium Man.

_While in the jungles of Africa, Tony Stark was out testing one of his weapons, used for fighting terrorism. He accidentally stepped on a trap and the following events led him to adopt the guise of..._

The Invincible Iron Man! #8: Showdown on Broadway

As Titanium Man's fist whizzed towards Stark's head, a million thoughts entered the mind of the billionaire. Where was the Black Widow? He had pressed the button that would tell her he had run into trouble. Just as his green foe was going to finish him off, he was blown back by a grenade that hit his heavily armored head.

The Black Widow swung in on some cord, kicking Titanium Man wit her feet. However, this was a stupid move, because her legs were hurt by the impact. She fell to the ground.

"What took you so long?" asked Iron Man as he hit the eyepieces of Titanium Man with two repulsor blasts.

"Didn't I mention that I gave you a phone? You should have known that you could have told me where you were." The Black Widow was starting to recover from the pain in her legs. She was one very endurable woman.

"Well, sorrrrry," said Iron Man as he turned on the jets on his boots. "You weren't very clear." The armored avenger flew in the direction of his titanic enemy, ramming into hi with his fists. Neither armored person was hurt.

"Oh, Iron Man," said the Black Widow as she pulled out some random metal parts, which she assembled into a rocket launcher. "I forgot to tell you that I brought a couple of little friends along."

"Little friends?" inquired the transistorized superhero as he dodged one of Titanium Man's fists. Suddenly he noticed a swarm of ants trying to find cracks in the super-villain's armor. Two tiny humans came riding on the back of flying insects.

"Ant-Man and Wasp!"

"It's Giant-Man, Shellhead!" exclaimed a small man in a red costume.

"Don't argue about names, boys. Let's bring down this big galoot!"

The Titanium Man seethed with anger, which showed in his voice. "Foolish woman! All those creeps you've been fighting are second-raters! You've never met anyone like me!"

"Mister," said an annoyed Giant-Man, who started growing until he was forty feet tall. "You don't know who you're dealing with."

Titanium Man looked up at the giant Avenger, a little surprised by this newcomer's size-changing powers. Giant-Man grabbed the green-garbed fiend and threw him down a street. The Black Widow slung her rocket launcher over her shoulder.

**A Rehearsal at Broadway**

"Cut! Cut!" screamed out a short director. He walked up to the performers on the practice stage, his face turning red. "Use more energy! You're going too slow, now let's try again! Ready… GO!"

A long line of people started dancing simultaneously, this time doing better. The director smiled, but his victory soon proved to be short-lived. The performers were knocked off the stage by a forty-foot tall giant in a red costume. The director jumped up and down, cursing at Giant-Man.

"Move your ding-blasted battle royale somewhere else, you gigantic, costu- uh. Hey! Put me down! Eeep!"

The short director's anger turned to fear as he looked into the glowing eyepieces of Titanium Man. The green super-villain held him high up in the air and prepared to smash him into the downed Giant-Man, but the Black Widow swung in and grabbed him, making the mechanized monster throw thin air.

"Cursed female! Get back here!"

Iron Man grabbed Titanium Man from behind and used his magnetic gloves and his transistorized strength surprisingly throwing his opponent into the air behind him. He nearly fainted from the weight of the super-villain as Titanium Man crashed into another stage, sending broken wood flying.

**Justin Hammer's Mansion**

Hammer turned a switch, enabling him to speak to Boris, a.k.a. the Titanium Man.

"How is it going, Boris?"

"Well, for a while I was creaming Iron man, but now three of his pals just came and I'm getting thrown around!"

"Thrown around? That's impossible for a man your size!"

"Yes, but one of Iron Man's friends is Giant-Man! Now can you stop talking? It's making it harder for me to aim my missiles at the little heroes!"

"Alright, I'll talk to you later."

Justin Hammer turned in his seat and got up, only to suddenly be knocked to the floor by a glowing chain. He quickly lost consciousness, blood flowing from his nose. He caught a glimpse of two muscle-bound men standing over him, their hands linked together by a few feet of chain.

**The Battle 2:30 P.M.**

Missiles hit the walls and stage backdrops, sending rubble flying everywhere. The Wasp was thrown around by the wind caused by the missiles while the Black Widow was hit by small debris. Giant-Man was busy saving the actors and he fell face forward when a missile clipped his shoulder. The only superhero to get hit directly was Iron Man, who had just flown a man to safety. He was hit in the back and some of his armor got busted. He fell onto the hard cement below.

The Wasp and the black Widow had just lost consciousness and the "Invincible" Iron Man was stinging with pain, unable to move and fast coming to the state of his female allies. Giant-Man got kicked in the groin by Titanium Man and he too was on the brink of unconsciousness. Only one man stood in the way of the heavily armed and armored super-villain.

The short director was holding the rocket launcher that the Black Widow had assembled, aiming it at Titanium Man.

"Get out of here, you tin monster!"

"Tin? I'm made of Titanium!"

"I don't care. Leave or you'll get it!"

"Bah, you're just a short idiot!"

"Maybe I am a short idiot, but this rocket launcher sure isn't." The Broadway musical director fired off his weapon and the shell flew towards the protected face of his new large enemy. The rocket hit its target and the Titanium Man fell back, landing hard on his back. The impact of the rocket shell and the landing shattered some of the circuitry in the bulky armor.

The Titanium Man got up and tried to blast away his unlikely assailant with a missile, but his firing device refused to respond. Cursing, he lumbered towards the man who had stalled him, but then he felt something hit him in the back.

"You're not harming anyone else!" roared Iron Man as he hit the monstrosity again. The Titanium Man retaliated by punching him, sending the modern day knight flying across the air. He laughed as the superhero once again hit hard cement. He grabbed a large wooden beam, which was a prop for the musical rehearsal that the super-powered beings had interrupted.

"The force of this blow is going to light up Broadway," chuckled Titanium Man as he prepared to beat Iron man into the street, but suddenly he dropped his weapon in pain and he tumbled along the street, writhing in pain. Soon he lay still. Smoke rising from his armor and him was moaning.

"W-what happened?" asked iron Man as he staggered to his feet.

"I happened," replied a female voice. A tiny figure turned into a beautiful female.

"Wasp?"

"Yea, me and the ants found a crack in Titanium Man's armor, so we got into there and I fired some wasp stings at him. You won't have to worry about him for a long while."

"I sure hope so. That guy could take on the Avengers any day."

"Well so long, Iron man. I've got to help Han- I mean Giant-Man recover."

"See you later."

Iron Man helped the Black Widow get to her feet.

"So who exactly hired you?'

"Sorry, I'm not allowed to tell. I must go now."

The Black Widow walked off and Iron Man watched as some cops came and wrenched off Titanium Man's helmet. He was surprised to see Boris, one of Justin Hammer's favorite workers. He recharged his breastplate and flew off towards Hammer's mansion.

**Hammer's Mansion**

Iron Man landed on the front law of Hammer's mansion. He had a bone to pick with the corrupt businessman. But he stood still, watching in shock as he saw Hammer, with chain marks on his chest, being carried away on a stretcher by two men. A detective walked up to the superhero.

"Glad you came, Iron man. We asked Mr. Hammer some questions before he passed out. His assailants are probably two criminals who just recently escaped from a prison. Here's a sketch that one of my men drew."

The detective showed Iron Man a drawing of two muscle-bound men connected by a long chain.

"In prison they were called Hammer and Anvil."

'I'll look for them next week," said Iron Man. 'I need some rest."

**At Stark's Office that Evening**

"How did your date go, Pepper?"

"Positively awful! Happy was frowning the whole time while acting like an idiot!"

Stark smiled as his secretary left, slamming a door shut behind her.

_Next: Hammer and Anvil!_


	9. Hammer and Anvil

Welcome back, readers! Before you read this story, I'd like to tell you that I might stop writing after issue 12 (and an annual). Just in case I do, you might want to make some last requests concerning villains or heroes you would like to see Iron Man meet, etc.

_While in the jungles of Africa, Tony Stark was out testing one of his weapons, used for fighting terrorism. He accidentally stepped on a trap and the following events led him to adopt the guise of..._

The Invincible Iron Man! #9: Hammer and Anvil

Two figures walked through the streets, connected by a chain. They were Hammer and Anvil, two men who had escaped from jail. Hammer sued to be a nickname for a white racist and Anvil happened to be the last name of a black inmate. Probably as a joke, they were chained together while in prison, but one day lightning struck and the unexplainable happened. The two had become superhumans with a long, sparkling chain.

They had recently gotten revenge on Justin Hammer for reporting their attempted murders (they were trying to kill each other) to the police. Now they were approaching an apartment where supposedly a criminal contact was waiting. The walked up some stairs and a shiver went down their spine as a door opened all by itself. A voice boomed out.

"Come in!"

Hammer an Anvil uneasily stepped through the doorway before they were blinded by a glowing figure.

"Welcome, Hammer and Anvil! I am Loki, God of Mischief!"

"Uh, Hammer, I think we should get out of here!"

"Yeah."

"You will do no such thing!" yelled out Loki as he froze the two criminals in place. "Now I must tell you what I want you to do! I want you to fight each Avenger individually! I'll pit you against Iron Man first, since he seems to have connections with Stark, the man who gave the Avengers their headquarters!"

"And what do we get in return?" asked Hammer.

"Paradise."

Loki stretched out his arms and an image of a tropical place appeared. In the tropical place were beautiful women and an abundance of delicate foods. The mouths of Hammer and Anvil watered.

"We'll do it!" they agreed simultaneously.

"Good."

**Avengers Headquarters**

Jarvis vacuumed the dust and food off the floor. Last night the Avengers had celebrated the return of Captain America, who they found encased in ice. Iron Man was sitting down at one of the Avengers' computers.

When Jarvis was done cleaning up the place he turned off the vacuum cleaner asked, "Is there anything else I can do, sir?"

"No thanks, Jarvis."

"I'll take my leave then."

After Jarvis left, Iron Man entered in some words on the computer and started looking at the profiles of every super-villain who combated the Avengers. He chuckled as he entered in a password that enabled him to distort or draw on the faces of the costumed fiends.

First stretched the corners of the Melter's mouth and drew a garbage can lid, putting it inside the mouth. After tampering with the profiles for several other villains, he came to Loki. He drew a long curly mustache on the wicked Asgardian just before an explosion and the headquarters alarms went off.

He turned and was startled to see Hammer and Anvil. He stood up.

"Loki's not going to be pleased with what you've been doing with his profile over there," said Anvil as he pointed at the screen behind Iron Man. "Now we're going to kick your iron butt all the way to the junkyard.

"Oh yeah, sure," growled the superhero as he braced himself for an attack. Hammer and Anvil rushed forward, trying to hit the armored avenger with their chain. Iron Man flew over it and turned delivering a hard kick to Anvil's back. The bald man proved to very endurable and he quickly recovered, charging the opposite way with Hammer.

This time Iron Man was hit by the chain, which dragged him until he was pinned on a column. Hammer and Anvil ran past each other, going in circles until the avenger was trapped. Then they started punching on his metal shell, making his transistorized battle gear vibrate.

Iron Man's arms had trapped to the pillar, but he managed to loosen the grip on his left arm and he lashed out at Hammer, hitting him in the jaw. As Hammer and his end of the chain clattered to the floor, the restraining of the modern day knight got even looser and Iron Man grabbed Anvil by the shoulders, head butting him. As the black man held his bleeding face, Hammer got back up and ran in a certain direction, causing the chain to trip Iron Man.

Iron Man fell onto his back and before he could get back up the chained super-villains were on him, pounding away with their fists. They then threw the superhero at the wall. He crashed through the brick and steel, landing on the lawn outside.

"Y'know, Anvil, I'm actually starting to like you."

"The same thing goes for me and we'd better become pals, because we're being held together by this dang chain. Now let's go finish up Iron Sissy-Man!"

The two convicts jumped out of the hole in the wall and landed a few feet away from Iron Man. Just as the crimefighter got up, the two charged and knocked him over with their chain.

"Hey, I have an idea!" exclaimed Anvil. "Let's choke him!"

'Sounds good to me, partner!"

They wrapped the chain around Iron Man's neck and started to pull. The superhero grabbed at the constricting metal, choking. Hammer and Anvil pulled harder and the iron crimefighter started losing consciousness.

He finally remembered his repulsor blasts and he aimed them at Hammer and Anvil, blasting them with his red rays. For the second time their grip loosened and Iron Man started regaining his breath. He recovered and so too did Hammer and Anvil. The two criminals tried to knock over their foe again, but Iron man flew over their linking weapon.

"Uh-uh, boys. You don't expect me to fall for that again, do you?"

"Get him!" roared Hammer. The enemies-turned-buddies flung their chain at Iron Man, who grabbed it. He started flying upwards, using his strength to pull on the two ends of the chain. Hammer and Anvil tried to stay rooted to the ground, but the pain in their chained hands was too much.

They stopped resisting and they screamed as they were pulled through the air. After being flown to about fifty feet off the ground, Iron man dropped them and watched as they hit the ground. He went closer to them to see how much damage had been done to him. He was disappointed to see that they still had fighting spirit.

The two flung the mid-section of their chain again, this time hitting their heroic enemy in the chest. Iron man oofed and fell onto the ground, getting up quickly and punching Hammer in the face. Anvil started swinging his partner, who braced himself. Iron Man was hit by the spinning villain a dozen times before getting his face knocked into the dirt and grass below him.

"Let's finish him off so that we can go into that paradise with all the hot babes," said Anvil, staring gleefully at his transistorized foe.

"Yeah, I get the blonde who was petting the leopard."

They wrapped their chain around Iron man as much as they could, binding his arms and legs. They then lifted him up and walked over to a pond, throwing him in. They held down the hero in the water. After fifteen minutes of doing this, they decided that he was as good as drowned.

Hammer unwound his end of the chain from Iron Man's legs. "He's as good as dead now. Let's untangle ourselves."

After straightening out their chain, they began to walk away. Then both were grabbed by a gloved hand. They were surprised to see Iron Man, who was holding them by their shirts.

"My mask has a built-in breathing apparatus. You two knuckleheads should have pounded my brains in instead of submerging me in an expensive pond. Now since you two like each other so much, I'm going to bring you closer together." And with that he smashed their faces into each other, knocking them out.

**Loki**

"Curses, my two cronies were too dimwitted to do their job properly. I'll have my revenge on Thor and his friends yet!"

Loki made a gesture and he vanished in a cloud of smoke.

**Avengers Headquarters**

"Oh dear, and I just cleaned this place up!"

"No problem Jarvis! You can just have the whole rest of the week off!" said Tony Stark as he patted his faithful servant on the shoulder.

"Thank you, sir. Imagine those two convicts messing up this room just after I carefully dusted and vacuumed it."

**A Prison**

'Hey, Lonnie, you want some pizza?" asked a redheaded guard.

"Nah, I'm on a diet. How's the work going?"

"Oh, it's been annoying. That George Shapanka creep was making a lot of noise again." The uniformed guard was just about to take a bite out of his pizza when suddenly the walls were smashed. All of the surrounding guards were thrown off their feet. A figure surrounded by ice stepped up to the dazed men.

"At last… Blizzard is free!"

_Next, two super-villains team up in: Fire and Ice!_

Note 1: Loki first appeared in _Venus_ #6

Note 2: Hammer and Anvil first appeared in _Incredible Hulk_ #182


	10. Fire and Ice

Welcome back, readers! Once again I took a long time and I hope that the wait is worth it. And JudoDave, your request to include your super-villain is interesting, but I don't have room for him in the last few stories (maybe in the annual), since I have it all planned out. However, I'm glad to see that you're planning on writing some fan fiction with original villains. I'll review it when you post it. See you later!

_While in the jungles of Africa, Tony Stark was out testing one of his weapons, used for fighting terrorism. He accidentally stepped on a trap and the following events led him to adopt the guise of..._

The Invincible Iron Man! #10: Fire and Ice

The detective, Mr. Tip was approached by many reporters, who crowded around him. He was asked about the Justin Hammer case.

"Who do you think is responsible?" asked a young female newscaster.

"I don't know, but his company was really becoming a pain in Stark's butt. Hammer and Anvil look like the type of guys that would get hired to knock off a dangerous rival."

A young man in glasses gave his own inquiry. "Are you saying that Tony Stark might be responsible?"

"We don't have enough evidence, but people are accusing him. Is it true that his stock is going down?"

"Yes, Mr. Tip."

Another member of the police force suddenly barged in. "Sir, Gregor Shapanka has escaped from prison."

"Who?"

"Gregor Shapanka."

"Sorry, but that name doesn't ring a tune."

"Oh, you know him. He's Blizzard."

The surrounding reporters and newsmen started mumbling among themselves, pushing harder for information.

A large frown entered Mr. Tip's face. "You idiot, why did you say it in front of this crowd?"

**Ravencroft Prison Facility: 7 P.M.**

Bruno Horgan casually paced back and forth in his cell. Forty feet away Blizzard had broken out of jail, but he was still stuck. He wracked his brains for a plan. He finally was ready and he stepped up to the bars, whistling to a guard. The guard carefully stepped toward him. Bruno Horgan was also known as the Melter, but he wasn't as infamous as Blizzard.

"What do you want?"

Bruno Horgan motioned his head towards his prison inmate, a big burly man. He feigned annoyance at him. He then used his hand to motion the guard closer. A little suspicious, the bluecoat came closer to the bars. Bruno Horgan than delivered his fib.

"My inmate snores very loudly. I'd like a different partner who's a little quieter."

"I'll tell the warden."

Before the guard could move away, Horgan's hand snapped into action and in an instant he had the cop's handgun. He had grabbed the man by the arm, pulling him towards himself.

"Let me and my big friend out or else this guy gets it!" he shouted to the other guards.

The guards quickly let him and his "friend" out. Bruno Horgan kept his hostage, managing to get a car. While driving, he threw out his prisoner, but let his large inmate stay with him. He could provide good muscle.

"What's your name again?"

"Charles. Youse can call me Chad."

"Nice name. Now listen. I've got plans to form an interesting partnership."

"Whad. Youse an' me?

"No, me and my opposite."

**Stark's Office**

Tony was tired and annoyed. Why would people believe that he sent two super-powered convicts to beat up Justin Hammer? He wasn't that type of person. Why were the rich always stereotyped as being ruthless? He had started out modestly and he had built up his company with hard work. It made sense when the blame fell on Hammer and Obadiah Stone, both cheating corporate figures. He flipped on the TV. Maybe a good movie would be on. But he was shocked when he saw the news.

"A burnt letter was found in a trash can and the words were barely identified as saying, 'You've been on my tail too long, so it is time for you to die, dear Mr. Hammer. With hate, Tony Stark.' "

Before Tony could do anything the phone rang. He picked it up and heard Pepper's voice.

'M-mr. Stark. Some men are here to see you."

"Who are they?"

"It's some policemen, including that detective that's been on TV: Mr. Tip."

"Let them in."

Mr. Tip and five other cops came in. The detective opened up the conversation. "We managed to match your handwriting with that found on the note, Mr. Stark."

"It must have been a forgery. I had nothing to do with it!"

"I'm afraid that the evidence is against you. You are under arrest. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to a lawyer."

As Mr. Tip was saying this, one of the other cops grabbed Tony, who didn't resist, and prepared to place a pair of handcuffs on him. Suddenly a sparkling white ball with spikes smashed through the biggest window in the room, showering glass on its occupants. The cop who was grabbing Tony fell in pain as glass hit his leg. Mr. Tip was almost hit by the ball, but one of his friends was less fortunate, getting impaled on the speeding terror. The spiked ball smashed against a door, shattering into many pieces.

Pepper rushed in and screamed while a large fist made of the same material as the ball knocked a third victim into a bookcase, rendering him unconscious. A figure in black costume with some white designs around his eyes and waist came in on what seemed to be an icy platform. His gloves and boots were white and his arms were crossed. One of the remaining cops pulled out his gun and fired, but the bullet was frozen in midair.

The menacing intruder laughed. "You fools seem to have forgotten that the Blizzard is unstoppable!"

"Wrong," grunted another man in a police uniform as he almost smashed a chair over the super-villain's head. Blizzard formed an icy shell around him and the chair broke against it. He then dispersed his shielding and fired an icicle into the man's stomach. The cop slumped to the floor with a groan.

Mr. Tip was conked out by an ice ball and the Blizzard froze Tony's legs to the floor. Pepper was hiding behind a couch.

"So, Mr. Stark, it is time for revenge. And I will freeze you to death nice and slow."

"Let's make a deal."

"A deal?" laughed Blizzard. "I don't think I'm going to let you bargain for your free- WHAT?"

Blizzard was knocked onto the floor thanks to his groin being kicked by Pepper. She started tearing into the fiend, but suddenly a reddish-orange hit her, sending her sprawling. The beam also hit Tony's legs, freeing them. The billionaire picked up his briefcase and ran for it, getting far away from the beam and Blizzard.

Blizzard got up, holding his crotch in pain. He was maddened to find Tony Stark gone. "How could he do that?"

"By accident, I'm afraid," said a New York voice.

Blizzard twirled around to see a man in armor. Standing behind him was a large, burly companion effortlessly holding a rocket launcher. Both were on an anti-gravity platform.

"How did you get that machine, and who are you?"

"I stole the disc from one of Stark's warehouses. As for me, I am the Melter and this is Chad, my faithful henchman. I met him in prison."

"Don't you realize that you've just freed my target? By now he's probably cruising away in a sports car!"

"The billionaire can wait. We've got more important fish to…" The Melter used his ray to melt some metal figurines on Tony's desk. "…Fry"

"Very witty, Melter. Now get out of my sight. I'm going to get the attention I deserve."

"If you want attention, then you should join me. I'm also seeking the spotlight and by combining my heat-ray with your cold powers, we can become the greatest criminal pair since Bonnie and Clyde."

Blizzard thought over the matter a little and then said, "We'll work together… for now."

"Good. Let's grab the babe and Mr. Tip."

**In a Forest Preserve**

Here he was, a once-respected businessman hiding out from the police and a maniacal monster. Tony thought over the many questions facing him. The beam couldn't be Blizzard's since it was hot. Of course, Gregor Shapanka could go for something odd. And the Blizzard wouldn't have forged a letter telling hammer that he was doomed since he obviously didn't want the police to have him, unless he just wanted his reputation ruined.

Tony decided to solve everything and he opened his briefcase, pulling out his Iron Man suit. Soon he was in full armor and ready to go, blasting off with his rocket boots.

**Avengers HQ**

Iron Man entered the mansion. He seemed to be the only one there besides the Wasp, who had fallen asleep on guard duty. She probably had stayed up late dating Giant-Man. Iron Man, plugged his armor into a socket, recharging it. After ten minutes he stopped, going into another room to turn on the TV.

"Two villains, Blizzard and the Melter, are holding Tony Stark's secretary Virginia Potts and detective Mr. Tip hostage at a seaside dock. They demand that Iron Man face them alone within the next two hours or else their hostages will die. And now for a commercial break."

Iron Man rushed towards the open window he had come through, flying out. Now he had to save his best assistant and the man who was trying to arrest him in his other form.

**The Docks**

"So, Blizzard, why's ya pick dis spot?" asked Chad.

"This is where I once fought Iron Man. He defeated me that time, but now I shall have my revenge.'

Chad turned away from the villain, entering a little shack where the Melter was sitting in a chair, smoking a cigar. Mr. Tip and Pepper had been frozen by Blizzard and their faces showed great fear.

"Hey, Melter. When is Ir'n Man gonna come?"

"Soon enough. These heroes have a weak spot for hostages."

Chad went back outside, pacing impatiently. He then spotted a red-and-gold figure zipping around some small stores. "It's de Iron Man!"

The Melter rushed out holding a homing rocket launcher while Blizzard unleashed a salvo of icicles. Each frozen weapon missed the speeding hero, who held his right fist outwards in a dramatic pose. Blizzard fired another volley, but the ones that hit the armor of the crimefighter shattered, not hitting any weak spots. The Melter had meanwhile been locking on with his weapon and he pulled the trigger. Just as Iron Man was about to ram Blizzard with his transistorized fist, a rocket hit him, sending him going out of control.

He landed hard on a street, his armor smoking. Fortunately his weapons and gadgets were still functional. He fired one repulsor ray at each costumed villain, causing them to stumble. He ran towards the Melter, ready to punch him out of consciousness. But the Melter was still holding his rocket launcher and he used it to block the hero's blow. The weapon fell apart from the impact.

"Now it is time to face the red-hot wrath of my melting ray!" exclaimed the criminal as a red beam projected from his chest plate. Iron Man was hit and bits of his armor melted. He had made his suit more resistant to such attacks since their first battle.

"Last time, Melter," said the hero as he dodged the ray. "I defeated you in around a minute and I can do it again."

Last time Iron Man had nullified the Melter's weapon by shooting out his own ray on a different frequency. Now he was repeating it. But much to his surprise, the super-villain's ray was still working.

"What?"

"I easily learned about how you defeated me, Shellhead. I've reprogrammed my weapon to work on and adapt to any frequency it encounters. Now it's time to burn.'

"WAIT!" yelled another voice as a large icy ball hit Iron Man across the back of the head. The armored avenger fell forward onto his face. Blizzard stood over him.

"Let's shame him by filming an unmasking."

"Good idea. Chad, get the camera!"

Chad obeyed and went into the shack, excitedly coming out with a video camera.

**In Another Part of the Docks**

During the whole melee, a host of men wearing aqua gear had been watching on from behind some boats.

"Everything's going well. Tony Stark's been framed and Iron Man is about to be unmasked," said one.

"We should film it too so that the boss can see it," said another

"Good idea. Maybe the Mariner Gang can cash in on the unmasking before those two creeps do. Make sure you zoom in with our leader's special camera," complimented the first man.

"The boss is a genius," said the second man as turned on the camera.

**The Unmasking Site**

"Three…two…one…ACTION!" exclaimed Chad as he turned he started filming the event.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I, the Melter, and my companion, Blizzard, shall show you the true face of the golden avenger known as… Iron Man! Blizzard, will you have the honor?"

"Certainly." The icy villain grabbed his enemy's helmet and started to slowly pull it off. He saw some black hair on the back of the hero's head, and then some skin. So far he knew that the superhero was a black-haired Caucasian. Blizzard then stopped. "I think it would be fitting if you finished the unmasking by melting his helmet."

'Why, thank you. Here we go."

The Melter turned on his beam, making sure it wasn't too powerful. The helmet of the hero started to melt, one layer dripping off as gold liquid. The man inside the suit started to recover from the heat hitting his face. He opened his eyes to see his eyeholes shrivel up. Realizing what was happening, he gathered his strength for a few seconds and then put his plan into motion.

Second One: Iron Man got onto his feet going for the Melter and the Blizzard with his fists

Second Two: Iron Man's fists connected with the super-villains' jaws, sending them falling.

Second Three: Iron Man blasted Blizzard with a repulsor blast.

After only three seconds, the Melter was already communicating with recently-recruited henchmen, calling for a helicopter. He fired off his ray to keep Iron Man away from him. The chopper lifted up from a ship in the distance. Chad was confused, but after some puzzled thinking he lunged forward and grabbed Iron Man, battering on his armor. He held the crimefighter in a chokehold, causing him to gasp and struggle.

Blizzard formed a large icicle and launched it at Shellhead's chest. The Avenger used his transistorized strength to pull to one side, dragging Chad with him. The icicle hit an electrical tower and the structure started to fall. It crashed while Iron Man threw off Chad and knocked the large man out. The helicopter came closer and the Melter fired a grappling hook, pulling himself up to the vehicle. Blizzard formed an ice ramp and an ice board. He speeded up the ramp on his board and flew through the air, getting his hands on the side of the helicopter. Two criminals got him in and the chopper started to leave the battle site.

"Oh no you don't!" roared Iron man as he used his rocket boots to pursue the fleeing fiends. His mask was hot, but not too hot to burn him. The helicopter swerved so that its side faced our hero. The Melter fired a ray and hit the good guy's boots, getting rid of the rockets. Iron Man fell down to earth, hitting a concrete roof.

He lay on his back, the wind knocked out of him. He had failed to apprehend the diabolical duo, his other identity was now framed, and Pepper and Mr. Tip were probably frozen somewhere along the docks.

**The Mariner Gang's Base**

"Where's the boss?" asked a gang member.

"He's off on some other 'business'. He left us some orders."

"What are they?"

"Invade the Stark Plant at night and steal the radioactive rock being studied there. With Tony Stark framed, our job should be much easier. Ready?"

Under their masks, the other criminals grinned. "Ready."

_Next, Tony Stark tried to clear his name in: Tony Stark: Fugitive!_


	11. Clearing the Name of Stark

Welcome back, readers! I hope you enjoy the surprise villain that's coming up (he'll appear at the end of the chapter if you want to peek ahead). Enjoy!

_While in the jungles of Africa, Tony Stark was out testing one of his weapons, used for fighting terrorism. He accidentally stepped on a trap and the following events led him to adopt the guise of..._

The Invincible Iron Man! #11: Clearing the Name of Stark

Iron Man smashed his way into the cabin where Pepper and Mr. Tip were still frozen. They were already starting to thaw. The transistorized superhero speeded up the process by blasting away chunks of ice with his repulsor blasts. Within twenty minutes the detective and the secretary were freed.

"What happened?" Mr. Tip was in a daze, pressing one hand against his forehead. Pepper was in the same condition.

"Both of you were frozen by Blizzard. I came to your rescue, but unfortunately he and the Melter got away."

"Well, now I can get back to my precinct and think up some way of getting Tony Stark. Wait, you work for him, right?"

Mr. Tip and Pepper stared at Iron Man, who stood there for a few seconds before answering. "Yes, and I can assure you that Mr. Stark is innocent. The letter is an excellent forgery devised by someone vengeful.

"What do you mean? It's been checked over and over. It's fact now. Tony Stark hired two brutes to take out Mr. Hammer and never told you. You defeated the hired attackers, but Mr. Stark used you to throw the cops off the scent."

"Mr. Tip," said Pepper as she wrung some water out of her clothes. I agree with Iron Man. Tony Stark is a man of good morals and has been trying and succeeding in making our world better through the advancement of technology."

Mr. Tip thought a little and then delivered an ultimatum. "If Iron Man can find his forger, and with good proof, within seventy-two hours, we'll let Tony Stark go."

"I'll do it," said Iron Man as he set about to getting a new pair of rocket boots.

**Stark Labs, Nighttime**

A security guard looked at the security videos, searching for any intruder that might be trying to grab the rock. Security had been lower at the labs since a lot of attention was being put at Stark's office, meeting rooms, and mansion. There had been sixty-four guards here, but now there was forty-two. The guard looked away a little to grab a bag of skittles. When he turned back to the screens, he saw fizz and blurry pictures. He groaned and started fiddling with the equipment in the room.

"Hey, Ron, can you give me a hand here? My screens are acting dumb!"

"The same thing's happening here!" shouted Ron as he ineffectively pressed some buttons and flicked some switches.

"I don't like the looks of this," said the first guard.

**Starks Lab Entrance**

"They should be in a panic," said a masked man to his cohorts. "Move it!"

Forty armed men, ten in a truck, rushed for the entrance to the lab. The guard at the entrance waved at the truck to stop. He stopped waving when the leader of the group shot off his silenced pistol. The guard fell dead. The Mariner gang was soon smashing through doors with rocket launchers and the truck.

Guards and scientists leaped into action, firing at the intruders. Two villains fell while the rest fired back. A rocket hit a bridge and sent seven men flying onto the floor. The leader of the team and the other occupants of the truck got out and used their machine guns to clear a path. All of them except for one got further into the lab.

**The Rock Chamber**

Two security guards armed with rifles got ready while the scientists started moving the rock. They were too late. The costumed gang broke in, losing two men before they had killed or wounded the workers. Four of the criminals lifted the rock and soon they were running back to the entrance, blasting their way through more guns. Eventually they were gone in their trucks and cars. They had lost seventeen men, but they had succeeded. Their boss back at base would be pleased.

**Stark's Mansion**

Iron Man, a.k.a. Tony Stark, pored over some papers. Contract papers had been found in hammer and Anvil's pockets, both signed "Mariner Gang". This showed that the two villains had a motive for beating up Justin Hammer besides revenge: money. Iron Man sat down in a rocking chair and took his helmet off. The Mariner Gang had popped up recently, stealing all sorts of valuable scientific equipment. Tony opened up his laptop and wrote down every super-villain scientist he could think of: Diablo, Dr. Octopus, Dr. Doom, etc.

Any one of them would frame Stark and divert attention away from the rock, which Tony had found to be stolen. He looked over the contracts again and finally found an address. Hammer and Anvil had apparently got their jobs in the Bronx. Tony put his mask back on, recharged his armor, and set out as Iron Man to find the fiendish employers.

**The Bronx**

Iron Man landed on a rooftop and started snooping around. The address mentioned a small joint that had just opened up. He spotted it, the sing reading _Finley's Burger House_. Tony got out of costume and disguised himself as a raggedy man. He walked down some stairs and proceeded towards the restaurant. He entered and a bell went off. A bearded man behind a counter got ready to take his order.

"Welcome to _Finley's Burger House_. How may I help you?" questioned the waiter/chef.

"I'll have a medium soda and two quarter-pounders."

"Coming right up. Please have a seat." The man gestured towards some empty chairs along the counter.

While Tony was waiting, another man came in, ordering his meal and sitting down by him. The man was tucking a purple piece of cloth into a coat pocket. He had to be a member of the Mariner Gang. Tony decided to use a bold approach. "Hey," he whispered. "What's the boss planning?"

"Huh? You don't look like one of our guys. But then again, I only know a few of my buddies' faces since everyone loves the masks. We're all one huge gang, are we?"

"Of course." Tony was in luck. This man was very dumb. Most criminals were.

"Well, you know about the rock, right?"

"Well, duh.'

"Well, he's taking it to the _Lagoon_, some sort of exploration ship, to study it.'

Tony was about to ask for more information when he heard the cocking of a pistol. He turned to see a person in a trench coat and a short Hispanic man standing over him.

'What's the meaning of this?"

"I know about every member of our gang and you're not one of them," said the man in the trench coat, who was holding the pistol."

"Stoolie," hissed the waiter/chef.

"Maurice and whoever you are, come with us."

Tony and the dumb gang member were led outside into an alleyway. The short Hispanic man punched the disguised millionaire in the stomach and shoved him into a wall. The man in a trench coat knocked Maurice against the opposite wall.

"You idiot!" Next time you fall for a cop trick, I'll see that the boss learns about it!"

"I won't do it again, Rod. Honest!"

"You'd better not. That stoolie or cop must have found out that Hammer and Anvil were at the burger joint. Pedro, have you found any secret listening devices?"

"None."

"Then gut the snitch."

The Hispanic man grinned as he pulled out a knife.

"Wait!" exclaimed Tony. "Before I die, could you please tell me who your boss is? I want to know something!"

"I'll give you a clue," said Pedro. "He's blue, has antennae sticking out of his cap, and he wields an oversized weapon."

"Attuma?"

Pedro stabbed with his knife, but Tony managed to twist out of the way and flip over the villain. He grabbed the knife and stabbed Rod through the hand. Rod ran away as Tony slammed Maurice into unconsciousness. Rodney would probably get away and tell his boss about what happened. This required a necessary changing into Iron Man.

**Another Alleyway**

Iron Man saw Rodney take out his cell phone as he hid behind some garbage bins. He had to stop him before he even reached whoever his leader was. He fired a low-power repulsor blast, destroying the cell phone. The superhero then landed on his feet and knocked out Rodney with a hard punch. He quickly went on his way. Now he had a ship to catch.

**Stark's Mansion**

"Twenty-three hours," said Mr. Tip as he looked at his watch. "He's got two more days and an hour."

"I'll bet he's coming in on the jerk right now," frowned Hogan prior to taking a bite out of a sandwich.

"Not is his supposed framer is a smarty-pants, which I bet he would have to be," replied Mr. Tip as he took a sip out of his can of beer.

"Maybe a hypnotist made Mr. Stark write that note," said Pepper.

"Maybe, there are all sorts of creeps around. Well, I'll be getting some rest now, and no playing around with my watch, okay?"

"Don't worry," said Hogan as he continued his perpetual frown. "I ain't no thief."

**Avengers Mansion**

"What would you like, Master Iron Man?' inquired Jarvis as the superhero stepped towards the elevator.

"I need to get something from the arsenal room."

"Good luck, sir," encouraged Jarvis as he turned to clean some plates.

The elevator was fast and smooth and soon the modern day knight had recharged his chest plate, putting on a new blue suit of armor around his life-saving device. If he wanted to catch his framer, he would need to take a less usual approach.

**The _Lagoon_**

Two members of the Mariner Gang paced across the deck, their guns loaded.

"Hey, Chip, when do you think we'll leave port?"

"How should I know? The boss is really unpredictable, and call me G-5, not Chip."

"Alright, G-5. Say, what's with the ripples in the water?"

The two goons looked out over the harbor waters. True enough, there was a row of ripples moving in their direction.

"Holy smokes! A torpedo!" shouted G-5.

"Hit it before it reaches us!' yelled the other as he opened fire. G-5 did the same, but they were too late. An armored figure in blue armor burst out, using his fists to bowl over the guards. The shouting and shooting had gotten the other Mariners coming to the spot. Each one held either an AK-47 assault rifle or a harpoon gun. Iron Man became the prize target as bullets bounced off his gleaming blue carapace. He was knocked onto his back by two harpoons, grunting as the water-themed criminals swarmed over him.

He hit left and right, taking out many before he was able to rocket out of the pile. He fired repulsor blasts at the mound of fiends, sending half of them flying. His sensors then picked up something. He turned to see a heat-seeking rocket coming upon him. He flew around in random circles trying to lose it, until it finally exploded near him, knocking him onto the deck. _That was too close to comfort_ he thought. He saw the man who had fired at him loading another rocket. The blue-clad hero raised his right arm and mentally ordered a small harpoon attached to a length of cable to be fired. The cable wound around the man's waist and he pulled, sending the villain sailing through the air and crashing into a pier.

Four more men jumped off of the lookout post and trapped Iron Man in a net. The superhero fired some repulsor blasts, shredding the net and conking out his assailants. A dozen goons rushed towards him, their machine guns chattering. The bullets bounced harmlessly off of our hero's metal-plated body and he used his magnetic devices to lift the weapons out of the hands of the gunmen. He then released another salvo of rays, sending the villains scrambling away.

"Time to make an entrance," he said to himself. He smashed through the closest wall and threw around the gunsels and goons inside the boat. He crashed some tables and used his magnetic devices to send silverware flying into people. After playing around with the criminals, he raced down a hallway and around a corner, stopping in astonishment. There was a large, vicious shark inside a tank right in front of him. The tank was made so that it was below the level of the floor. Before he could do anything else, Iron man was pushed into it by some Mariners, one of them falling in with him. The shark bit the goon and swallowed him in three seconds. Iron Man fired some cables and tied up the shark, but the fish bit through some of the material and lunged for the armored avenger.

Iron Man began wrestling with the predator, sending his left fist crashing onto the creature's head. The shark opened its mouth in anger and bit down on the modern day knight's left arm. Its eyes widened when some of its teeth cracked on it. Iron Man ended the melee by kicking the shark through some walls and into the harbor. It would be free and safe there.

The transistorized superhero got out of the tank, punching the rest of the surrounding men. He used heat sensors to look through the rest of the _Lagoon_. He detected a large red shape in the center. _That's unusual_ he thought as he raced towards it. He entered a large fancy room with a large table. On the table was a lot of wine, meat, pies, and other such delicacies. A voice boomed out through some speakers on the four white walls.

"So you've been getting close, eh, Avenger? Well, you'll never clear the name of Stark! Prepare to meet your doom!"

Four long, computer-controlled guns, each one in a different corner of the room, popped out and started chattering away. Iron Man was bombarded by red lasers, which his sensors identified as atomic beams. Shellhead was knocked around by the guns' unerring aim until he took refuge under the table. Plates, glasses, and food were all ripped to pieces by the atomic beams and soon the table itself was getting full of holes.

"Thanks, my friend, for ruining a perfectly fine dinner," said the voice.

Most of the table exploded in a shower of splinters and the superhero was uncovered. Iron Man blasted at two of the guns with his repulsor rays, weakening them, but not destroying them. _These things are unstoppable_ he thought as he ducked some more lasers. _But if I can just aim my magnetic rays…_

Iron Man managed to use his devices to crumple up a gun, but his magnetic rays were knocked out when they were hit by twin beams. The modern knight was bowled over. There were still three guns left. He activated his rocket boots. If rays didn't work, then he would use brute strength. He punched a gun, smashing its barrel. He then tore the rest of it out.

He charged another gun, but was stopped by a heavy volley of red light. He turned and unwittingly screwed up the gun's firing mechanism with his rocket boots. Iron Man grabbed a large board from the broken table and hurled it towards the damaged gun, watching it become a smoking piece of metal. Our hero was hit in the back by the last gun and fell onto stomach. He turned a little and fired a repulsor blast at the computer-controlled terror, doing little harm to it.

He activated his rocket boots again and used his left arm to take the brunt of the beams. He rammed the gun with his head and it fell apart. The temporarily blue avenger fell onto the floor and held his head. "Now that hurt."

Just as soon as he got up he heard some whirring in the walls. He prepared for another onslaught of remote-controlled weapons, but instead the wall opposite of where he had entered opened up. Before he could see what was coming through, something punched him in the stomach. He rolled onto his back and got up, his body aching. Once again he was denied a clear view of his opponent when something wrapped around his right leg and tripped him.

"You'll pay for ruining my evacuation plans, Iron Man," said the voice. Iron Man thought he had heard that voice at a meeting a few years earlier.

He was hit by metal one, two, three, four times before he was finally allowed to see his opponent, who grabbed his legs with a tentacle and held him upside down. The hero's eyes widened in surprise. He was facing one of the most dangerous men on earth, a man who was a genius and a powerhouse.

The man wore a pair of sunglasses and was wearing a tight green suit. His hair was certainly not in fashion and on his feet were two thick boots. His gloves were also fairly thick. He had four appendages sticking out of him, each able to extend and contract.

"Iron Man," growled the bespectacled man. "Meet the wrath of… DOCTOR OCTOPUS!

_Next: Twisted in Tentacles!_

Note: Dr. Octopus first appeared in _Amazing Spider-Man_ #3


	12. Twisted in Tentacles

At last, I've updated my story thanks to the upcoming release of the Iron Man movie. This will end the first twelve issues, but there will be a giant-size special under a different story and further adventures! I hope you enjoy the ending of the current Iron Man arc started at the end of #8.

_While in the jungles of Africa, Tony Stark was out testing one of his weapons, used for fighting terrorism. He accidentally stepped on a trap and the following events led him to adopt the guise of..._

The Invincible Iron Man! #12: Twisted in Tentacles

Iron Man Fired repulsor blasts, but missed because Dr. Octopus threw him away before he could properly aim. He hit a wall, denting it and falling to the floor. Doc Ock lunged with his tentacles, wrapping them around the armored superhero and twirling him around. Iron Man felt like he was going to puke.

He struggled until one of his hands was able to emerge from the mass of metal coils. With his free hand he fired a repulsor blast, knocking the super-villain into the wall and loosening his hold. Jetting his way free, Iron Man used his magnetic rays, causing Dr. Octopus' tentacles to flail helplessly, but the madman didn't seem too worried.

"You metal meddler! You insult me if you think that I rely solely on my arms! Watch this!"

Dr. Octopus pulled a gun out of a holster and fired it off. Iron Man was hit by a high-blast ray which put cracks in the armor around his legs. His jet boots started fail, and he fell to the floor, his magnetic beams no longer focused. He may have lost his power of flight, but he could still fight on his feet.

"Now, before you use those beams again," sneered Doc Ock as two his tentacles pinned the Avenger's arms to the wall. "I'll relieve of you eyesight…" Another tentacle covered Iron Man's face, its claws latching onto his helmet. "…and pummel you mercilessly with my last tentacle!"

Dr. Octopus made good on his word, ramming his fourth tentacle repeatedly into Iron Man's chest. The man inside the suit, Tony Stark, knew that if he was to live, he had to break free and swim back to shore. Fortunately, yet in a bad way, his eight-limbed enemy smashed him through the side of the boat and then threw him through the new hole, laughing maniacally as he hit a pier and fell into the water.

Iron Man felt the shrapnel starting to near his heart. The beating had busted two of his power circuits! He had about five minutes before he was a dead superhero, and he never would have cleared his name either. He groaned as he swam upwards and pulled himself up onto the pier. He then ran, which seemed to make the pain worse. He smashed into a cabin, but found no electrical outlet.

Moaning in pain and anger, he smashed his way back out of the cabin and into another one, where he saw a TV hooked up to a wall. He ripped the TV away and found the outlet, ignoring the crash of the electrical appliance he had just tossed aside. He opened a compartment in his suit, having to pry the busted seal with whatever strength he still had left, and pulled out his life-saving cord, plugging it into the outlet that the TV had been powered on. He felt himself blanking out as electrical current entered his suit. Had he done it in time? Or was this the end of Iron Man?

**Hours Later**

Iron Man groggily woke up as a he was poked at by a bearded man. "Hey, Iron Man! What happened here? Do you need a doctor? And why are you plugged to the wall?"

Iron Man observed the man, a tall guy who probably worked on a boat off of the Atlantic Coast. 'What time is it?"

"Six o'clock. What happened to my TV?"

"Oh, I think I accidentally broke it."

"What?" The man seemed to be angry now. "I just got it and I paid a good amount of money for it too."

"My boss will pay you, probably out of my pay check." That was true, since the money would come from Stark, who just happened to be Iron Man too. "See you later."

Iron Man walked out of the small building and among the curious and surprised stares of the dock workers, hailed a taxi cab to Avengers Mansion. Once there he went to the armor vault, cast off his blue hydro-armor, and charged up his life-saving chest device. As he fixed himself a meal, he turned on the large plasma screen TV.

"Late last night," said a female reporter. "A large boat full of holes was found beached on the New Jersey shore. Some detectives have reason to believe that a radioactive rock recently stolen from Stark Labs was being smuggled out on this boat by the Mariner Gang, who have recently been seen battling both Iron Man and Spider-Man." In other news Tony Stark, accused of hiring Hammer and Anvil to assault Justin Hammer, has been cleared by Mr. Tip. Here is some footage of him."

Tony Stark looked up at the screen, shocked. He was cleared! He could see Mr. Tip surrounded by microphones.

"Hammer and Anvil were very uncooperative during interrogation, but it has been learned that they had a personal grudge against Justin Hammer. Tony Stark was not involved, although he had very good motive. Mr. Stark, if you are watching, I apologize for my rash deductions, and I hope you come out of hiding. I believe there to be further motives behind this pair, and I and my team will do our best to find out."

Tony grinned as he turned off the TV and went into his armor vault. He would make his public appearance later on. He had an eight-armed maniac to fight, and this time he was using the good old red and gold armor, with increased magnetic power.

**Dr. Octopus' Temporary Headquarters**

Dr. Octopus, accompanied by one of his top henchmen, studied the rock that he had recently acquired. His assistant seemed to be getting impatient as the enemy of Spider-Man spent nearly an hour studying his prize. At last the masked thug spoke out. "What's so big about this slab of stone anyways?"

"This rock, my impatient friend, contains enormous radioactive properties. If properly manipulated, it can be used to conquer the entire Northeast. Does that not sound good to you?"

"It sounds very fine to me, boss. But what if Iron Man comes back?"

"Then he will get a worse beating than last time."

"Isn't that what you said about Spider-Man before he landed you in jail?"

"Silence! You have overstepped my boundaries of patience! Get out!"

The assistant was thrown out of the room yelping by one of Doc Ock's tentacles and when released, ran far away from his employer.

**Stark Mansion**

"When is he going to come back?" said Pepper Potts as she paced back and forth in the main hall of Stark's luxurious house. "Now that he's no longer wanted by the police, he should be rushing over here to catch up on his life!"

"Aw, don't worry," said Happy Hogan, wearing his usual frown. "He probably stopped to check up on his plant."

"The least he could do is give us a call! After all, we are his most loyal friends! He's ditched us!"

"Aw, c'mon now. The guy's been through a lot. I'd be nerve-wracked if I had to run from the police."

Pepper stopped her pacing and went right up to Happy, pointing a finger at him. "You'd still look the same, except for that you wouldn't be wearing those fancy chauffeur clothes, you big ape! And you'd better keep frowning!"

'Keep frowning? I was…"

"I know, you were imaginarily smiling! I haven't seen a happy look on your face since I first saw you! Tony Stark, however, gives the greatest smiles! If only he would date me instead of trying to hook me up with you! Oh, that he would just come back!"

**A Bar in New Jersey**

A few minutes ago the underworld bar had been its normal self, loud but organized with the occasional troublemaker who had too much to drink. Now it was utter chaos, as Iron Man sent the unscrupulous patrons and workers flying around the room with his enhanced strength, all the time yelling out demands. He was running out of patience as hoodlums from all sides rushed him.

"Where's Dr. Octopus? Where's the Mariner Gang? Somebody had better tell me before things get _really_ rough!"

"Don't answer!" yelled an authoritative figure. "Just keep hitting him till he's out!"

Iron Man sent over a dozen men rolling with two repulsor blasts and then punched away a trio armed with knives. When half of his assailants got back up, he activated two devices strapped to his hands, extremely powerful magnetic devices. Knives, guns, watches, and all other metal objects flew towards him.

"Alright, pals! Playtime's over! Now somebody had better tell me where Dr. Octopus and his cronies are or I'll reverse these gizmos I'm wearing and everybody will have knives stuck in them!"

"I give up!" squealed a high-pitched man. "He's thirty miles west of here in some underground base!"

"Thanks! That's all I needed to know!"

Iron Man gently dropped the metal objects and left the bar via jet-boots. The crooks all scrambled away as police cars, attracted by the noise, came to the scene. The final showdown was coming up.

**In Prison**

Hammer and Anvil were further chained to a long bench, and standing before them were Mr. Tip and his fellow detectives.

"So somebody hired you?" asked one of Tip's assistants.

"Yeah, the mariner gang," said Hammer. "We are getting time off, right?"

"If this contribution makes a good impression on the judge and jury," said Mr. Tip. "So why were you hired?"

"We were supposed to make it look like Stark got fed up with Hammer and hired us, but we ended up in jail when some god guy hired us."

"A god? Whatever," said one of the detectives as he rolled his eyes.

They got further details and Tony Stark's name was cleared indefinitely. But that wasn't going to help if he didn't survive his next battle.

**Dr. Octopus' Temporary Headquarters**

Iron Man went full power with his repulsor blasts, having detected unusual radioactive and magnetic activity coming from directly below him. The grass and dirt flew, followed by shredded metal. He heard the shouts of the Mariner Gang as entered the hole and fire beams left and right. Masked criminals were helpless before the onslaught, falling into walls, off catwalks, and into machinery. Iron Man turned on his heat vision, looking for the pudgy shape of Dr. Octopus. He found him behind a hallway with three tough doors.

Iron Man charged forward, using his magnetic gauntlets to rip the doors aside. When the third door was broken through, he failed to see Doc Ock, who had easily anticipated his arrival. The armored avenger found himself being tripped from the side and then punched by a metal arm. He saw his enemy before him with his bowl hair-cut and sunglasses.

"You dare attack me again! At least you came more prepared, but that preparation will go to waste when I relieve you of those devices strapped to your hands. They must have been devised to defeat my all-powerful arms!"

Before the superhero could react, his magnetic weapons were pulled off by a pair of tentacles. He began to jump and dodge as the four mechanical arms flailed about at him. After nearly a minute of evading his opponent he fired a volley of repulsor blasts, which the arms swiftly moved to block. He then hit the floor, sending Doc Ock falling onto his back.

"Clever, but not clever enough!" exclaimed Dr. Octopus as he struck back and hit Iron Man with all four extra appendages. Iron Man landed in a corner, dazed. He felt a tentacle wrap around his legs, pulling him up. He was then spun around in a circle, with his built-in speed meter reading 45 mph. The tentacle let go and the momentum drove him into the wall, with his head sticking unceremoniously out the other side. He could feel the tentacles spanking him from behind.

"That's enough you egomaniac!" yelled Iron Man as he activated his jet-boots, sending him all the way through the wall. He smiled under his helmet as he heard a yelp of from his opponent.

Upon circling and going back through the hole, he found his eight-limbed enemy holding a burn mark on his face, cursing.

'I'll get you for this you avenging clod!"

"A clod, eh? Can a clod do this?" Iron Man grabbed two of the madman's tentacles and with his transistor-powered strength flipped him over his head, sending him smashing into the ceiling.

"Or how about this?" He delivered a kung fu kick to the chest of Doc Ock, sending him crashing into some lab equipment. "And now I'll get back what's mine!" He lunged for his magnetic gauntlets, the easy way to victory. But a long tentacle came out of nowhere and knocked the gauntlets away just as he landed. He turned to see Dr. Octopus walking towards him on his tentacles, a frightening sight indeed. His candor was gone, replaced by a savage fury accentuated by new scars and bruises.

'I'm done toying with you! This time you die!"

Iron Man leaped to the side as a tentacle smashed down and made a hole in the floor. The whole room shook as the Dr. Octopus's thrusts grew more aggressive. At one point Iron Man was almost trapped against a wall as three extending appendages blocked him in a corner. He jetted his way over, but was side-swiped back. He went forward again, this time expertly dodging the four criss-crossing metal arms. At last he took a hold of his metal gauntlets and put them on. He blasted its rays at his foe, sending him flying and screaming through one of the many holes in the room. He would have stayed longer to jail the maniac, but he was getting weak from the beating he had just taken, and just grabbed the radioactive rock from its chamber, flying back from the way he came. Behind him, a recovered Dr. Octopus shook his fist at him and cursed.

**Stark Mansion**

Pepper and Happy Hogan had just watched the latest news on Iron Man and Dr. Octopus. Pepper was mad. "Instead of fighting a villains that anybody else could have taken care of, he should have been looking for Tony. After all, he gave him a high-paying job!"

"But we need protection from all these sabotaging super-villains," pointed out Happy.

"It won't matter if Tony isn't here to run the place! Why, I'll- LOOK!"

Tony Stark was standing in the main entrance, much fatigued and with stubble.

"Hey, guys," he said as he went to the main staircase with his suitcase. Iron Man told me that it was safe to come back, so here I am. Sorry I'm too tired to chat, but we'll see each other back at the plant tomorrow."

"Glad you're back, boss," said Happy, who should have been smiling instead of frowning. "I knew you'd come back."

Upstairs, Tony Stark smiled as he lay down in bed to rest. He hoped that somebody would get Dr. Octopus, probably Spider-Man, and was glad to have his company in his control again. He slipped into a well-deserved sleep.

_Next in Invincible Iron Man!: Happy Hogan has his own adventure against the Barracuda!_

_And Also: In a giant-size special, Iron Man will face the Mandarin and three more of his foes! This special will also feature villain profiles and guest stars!_


	13. Giant Size Iron Man 1

Iron Man Giant-Size Special

Iron Man Giant-Size Special

Part One: The Mandarin's Minions

**Over the Caribbean**

"I say we go north!" yelled Blizzard.

"And I, as the pilot, say we stay on course!" growled back the Melter, who was in command of the helicopter. "If we go north we might run into Iron Man prematurely!"

"Prematurely, bah!" snorted Blizzard as he fired tiny puffs of snow at nothing. "All we need is a quick briefing for a coordinated plan and we can defeat that armored nuisance!"

"Come on, the Arctic is a lousy place to hide out. Who cares if you don't blend in South America? This isn't about fashion! At least you can be grateful that we got rid of Chad (Iron Man #10)."

"Who you brought here in the first place," pointed out Blizzard.

"Okay, so maybe I wanted a little entertainment. Just let me do my thing. I have a plan."

"This partnership is dumb. You've been trying to control everything. My power is undoubtedly better."

The Melter went livid with rage, stepping out of his seat and facing Blizzard. "Alright, snow cone, do you want to go at it?"

"You bet."

The two fired their weapons at each other, which dissipated halfway thanks to their opposite natures. Seeing how useless such a fight was, they went at it with physical blows, which worked to Blizzard's advantage. He simply covered his fists with hard ice, although the Melter had a lot of protective armor on. The brawl was cut short when the helicopter suddenly went through a blinding spectacle of lights. The pair of super-villains stood in shocked amazement.

**Just Outside Prison**

Two guards, Royce and Ricky, watched as Nathaniel Garrett walked out of the fence, which formed the prison perimeter. The two men were not happy. "So, Ricky, what do you make of that? The Black Knight gets out of jail despite all of the witnesses who saw him blast apart Stark Industries (Iron Man #4)!"

"Yeah," said Ricky. "But he has some good lawyers, plus he was more of a citizen of England anyways. He's due to get deported."

"Just you wait," smirked Royce. Iron Man will put him in jail again. Holy cow! What is that?"

A plethora of dazzling lights hit Garrett, who screamed as he and his suitcase, containing his gear, flashed and disappeared. Royce got a call on his walkie-talkie. "What is it?"

"The winged horse we confiscated… it's gone!" crackled the voice on the other end. "We were played for suckers!"

**In an Odd Place**

The Melter, Blizzard, Nathaniel Garrett, and the winged horse reappeared all together in a large awesome room full of relics and beautiful art. The Melter was the first to speak. "Where the…"

"You," boomed a voice in a foreign accent. "Are in the fortress of the Mandarin, who brought you here by the means of teleportation! I have a proposal which I think you will find most agreeable: to band together and destroy Iron Man!"

The trio of fiends looked up to see the Mandarin, in his rich robes, seated on a throne. There was a short pause before Blizzard broke the silence.

"Before me make any deals I want to know who you are and if you intend to take over as leader. I've no intention of becoming a lackey."

"You will not be lackeys, but you must trust me as a leader until we have destroyed Iron Man. Then we may part ways. Black Knight, you may want to get into your uniform in case I have to demonstrate my power."

Nathaniel Garrett did so and mounted his winged steed. Blizzard was not ready to form an alliance. "I will be leader and to prove it I'll defeat you!"

Blizzard formed a layer of ice around the Mandarin, who dissipated it with one of his ten power rings. "You impatient American, do you dare think to defeat the Mandarin in his castle?" The Oriental villain leapt off of his throne and assaulted Blizzard with a few powerful karate moves, sending the super-villain onto his back. He then stepped back and assumed a calm regal pose. "To show my good faith, I will give each of you circuitry to enhance the power of you technology. Blizzard can have a cold pack which increases the speed of his icy powers. The Melter can have a beam which operates on all frequencies and levels. And the Black Knight will have new weapons built into his lance which can challenge even the mighty Thor. Are we in an agreement?"

"I'll join you for now," gasped Blizzard as he clutched his stomach.

"I'm in," said the Melter.

"I will help you destroy Iron Man, and then I shall leave you all," said the Black Knight.

"Good. I am happy that you are willing to join me in my latest plan. And so the Mandarin told his three newfound allies his master plan, which would go into action soon.

**Stark Plant**

Tony Stark drove his most expensive car into the parking lot at the plant. He got out and was greeted by some of his head workers and scientists. "Good morning, Stark," said Mr. Barley, head of moving around the equipment.

"Morning, Barley? And good morning to the rest of you."

The other men were Dr. Vanko, a Russian expert on transistors, Dr. Jonas Harrow, a genius when it came to biology, and Rhodes, Stark International's head of the plant and personal pilot for Tony's overseas missions.

"Where's 'Happy' Hogan?" asked Rhodes, looking at the car. "Isn't he your chauffeur?"

"He and Virginia Potts are both on their separate vacations. I didn't have a replacement since it was such a beautiful day for driving. Now what have you guys got to show me?"

"I and Vanko have been working on a new construction machine in the shape of a man," reported Harrow as the quintet turned to walk into the depths of the plant. I provide a few techno-biological parts and Vanko designed its circuitry."

"How large will it be?" inquired Stark.

"About seventy-five feet tall."

"It weighed tons," added Barley. "We had to work overtime to move all the pieces into the build site."

"And when should it be finished?"

"It will take weeks," said Dr. Vanko in his Russian accent. "The circuitry and wiring is very complex. We need proper control systems or else it might end up rampaging instead of doing its job."

"Thanks to our work, the need for hard labor will be reduced significantly, if we can replicate our work," boasted Harrow.

"So you're going to deprive people of jobs and replace them with some Frankenstein creation?" asked Rhodes. Apparently he hadn't known about the project.

"Do not be so overly concerned," responded Harrow. "There are dozens of jobs they can have. Who knows, my machine may need some personnel to maintain it, although I believe it will be quite self-sufficient."

"So what do you think of our new construction device, Mr. Stark?" asked Vanko as they entered a room, looking at various metal and electronic parts sprawled over a work space. It was a large room and the machine looked to be very large.

"It's interesting and worth a try. I'll need it to go through a lot of testing. I'm not sure it's quite safe."

"I agree," said Rhodes. "Such a large machine could cause indirect harm to others. I don't think the city streets are a safe place."

"We will resolve that," said Harrow. "Now I and Vanko must get to work. See you later, Mr. Stark."

"I want a status report every twenty-four hours. This little meeting is dismissed."

**Stark's Office**

Tony Stark recharged his chest plate as he sketched out designs for new Iron Man suits. With the advent of large heavyweight villains and monsters, a heavy war suit could come in handy. He just needed something that wasn't too cumbersome. Thinking about heavy machinery reminded him of the bionic behemoth being constructed in his plant. Rhodes seemed unsure about it and now he too had an ominous feeling about the whole thing. But why would he? If the things wasn't too unwieldy he could just launch it in a fatal suicide mission against some evil doer and get rid of it, although much money would be lost. And it wasn't like he couldn't just have the thing turned off. His thoughts were interrupted by sudden outbursts of security alarms. Unplugging himself from the wall, he rushed into a hidden vault and donned the armor of Iron Man.

"What can it be this time?" he said to himself. Whatever it was, it was going to be more than he can handle

**Stark Plant: Main Building**

Hundred of guards, technicians, blue-collar workers, and scientists littered the ground with their stunned forms. Whatever had attacked them was now out of sight. Iron Man's optical systems showed strange power sources emanating from inside the largest building and indeed there were several holes in its side. Swooping in through the broken front doors, Iron Man followed a trail of carnage, coming across Mr. Bailey's till conscious, but bleeding from several spots.

"Bailey, what's happening here?"

"Melter got me! Steel girders -- hit me – result of melting ray."

The Melter? Iron Man seriously doubted that even he could cause this much mayhem. He heard boots behind them and he spun around, coming face-to-face with the Melter. There was a shadow coming from behind him. Presumably Blizzard was still working with him. But a few seconds later it was the Black Knight who was revealed to be standing with the Melter.

"What? Changing partners, Horgan?"

"Not exactly, and my name is the Melter! You got that! I'm going to have my revenge!"

"You forget, flame boy. I'm able to nullify your beam."

Iron Man turned on the counter-ray he had used earlier to defeat the Melter (#6), but to his shock the hot-beamed rogue's ray was not stopped and the armored superhero started to feel a heat strain. He leaped out of the way, groaning in stress.

"Surprise, surprise, although I see you hardened you armor."

"Enough games!" shouted the Black Knight. "I am the one who shall give us our revenge!"

Aiming his lance, the Black Knight fired off some rays, hitting Iron Man with each shot. The armored avenger fired back with some repulsor rays, hitting the two villains, and ran around a corner, hoping to gain a few seconds to think things through. Had all of his enemies gathered together to crush him? And wasn't there a piece of the Black Knight's arsenal head forgotten?

His second question was answered when a winged horse charged into him, knocking him into the path of the Black Knight. "Good boy," said the Black Knight to his horse as he shot out more rays from his lance. The Melter joined in with his chest beam, almost hitting his hated heroic foe for a second time. Dodging his adversaries, Iron man was suddenly bowled over by an enormous icy fist.

"Blizzard, you're here too!"

"Yes, and soon you won't be, at least not while alive!"

Iron Man blasted open the ceiling and rocketed his way p and then out a window into the open air. The confined hallways of Stark Plant provided far too little room to maneuver against three super-villains with ranged weapons. The Blizzard and Melter came after him on an ice slide while the Black Knight, now mounted on his dark steed, flew around in a semi-circle to hit him in the rear. Iron Man expertly weaved his way around the fiends so that they ended up nearly hitting each other.

"Watch it, Lancelot!" growled the Melter as his chest was dented. "Great. Good thing the Mandarin gave me a gun containing my heat ray."

"The Mandarin? So he's the one who banded all of you kooks together! Where is the old fellow?"

"None of your business," said the Black Knight as he fired a burst of tear gas at the superhero, engulfing him.

"Sorry, Black Knight, but I've protected myself against your gas.

"But nothing can counter hard ice!" exclaimed Blizzard as he fired large chunks of speedily-made ice at Iron Man. "We've improved _our_ weapons too!"

Iron Man hit left and right by the cold boulders and felt himself being pummeled backwards, right into a swipe of the Black Knight's lance. He grunted as he hurled out of control. As soon as he did his boots were hit by the Melter's beam and without his rockets he started to fall. He had to save himself. The Mandarin might be doing something in his plant, such as stealing valuable weaponry.

The armored superhero activated a built-in airbag and landed hard, but safely. His air bag was blasted off by the Black Knight and he in turn nearly unhorsed the medieval-themed villain with a repulsor blast. Blizzard went onto the ground and put on an icy exterior. The two started to slug it out, trading punches until Stark's armor was dented and scratched and the blizzard's hastily-made suit of ice was smashed up. Iron man prepared for a knockout blow, but his chilling opponent dodged, letting the Melter hit him square in the face.

Iron Man screamed as his he felt his head burn. His mask was melting! Toa void having his secret identity discovered, he turned and fled, narrowly avoiding his foes' various blasts. They were too much for him and so he pulled out an Avengers communicator, activating the emergency signal. He hoped that some of his teammates were available, because he needed all the help he could get.

Iron Man rushed into a speedy car and drove off as more security arrived, halting the pursuit of his enemies.

**Deep Inside the Largest Building**

The Mandarin unleashed the might of his power rings, sending everybody in the room flying into walls. He looked upon the construction machine, which he had learned of. H smiled and began to laugh manically as he used his rings to bring different pieces together. He began to build the machine himself, but with certain additions of his own evil design.

"It would have taken more than a month for you mortals to build this machine, but for I and my blessed power rings it will come to life within a minute! For those of you still having consciousness I tell you that mine is the supreme power! Watch as I built your titanic creature for you! Watch as I give it energy from my rings and coat it with more shielding, more energy, and more malice!"

The machine came together, its insides raging with some mystical power. Its head looked like an evil smiling skull with glowing yellow eyes. Its form took that of a muscular titan, a Prometheus.

"I give you terror! I give you power! I give you the grand creation of the Mandarin!

The building shook and collapsed as the workers at the plant ran screaming. A new menace was born, walking into the open air and sending the security scurrying to safety. It let out a loud bellow. On the ground the Mandarin teleported himself by his three henchmen, who stood with their mouths agape.

"I give you . . . ULTIMO!

"How corny can you get," muttered the Melter.

Part Two: Assembled Against Ultimo

After recharging his armor power, Iron Man put on a spare helmet and rushed to Avengers Mansion. Assembled there were Captain America, Thor, and, to his surprise, the Black Widow.

"Black Widow, what are you doing here?" asked Iron Man.

"I was meeting with Captain America about a mission that I was assigned to do when he received you summons. The mission, which I will not disclose, can wait. I crave some action and seeing that Dr. Pym and the Wasp aren't here I think you can use some help."

"Enough explanations!" commanded Thor. 'Why were we called? May it be something to do with the monster which now walks New York?"

"Right on, Goldilocks."

"Do not call me that, Iron Man, if you desire my help!"

"Alright. Alright. Ultimo was a construction machine being created by scientists at Stark Industries. I have reason to believe that the Mandarin, with assistance from three of my enemies, put it all together with his own designs and is now using it for whatever he's after. The way he acts I bet he's after conquest."

Who are his accomplices?" inquired Captain America. "We should know what we're up against before we rush into battle."

"The Melter, who should prove ineffective against your shield and Thor's hammer, the Black Knight, who is probably the most dangerous of the bunch, and Blizzard, who's dangerous but can probably be beaten quickly by Thor. So who's the chairman this month?"

"I believe Thor is," said the Black Widow, gearing up for a fight with her special gadgets.

"And as the leader of the month I do declare our battle plan. We attack this monstrous machine and then fight his masters."

"Nice and simple," smiled Captain America. Shout out the battle cry Thor."

"AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!" ringed the voice of the thunder god.

And so four powerful heroes ran out to battle.

**In an Abandoned Building**

The Mandarin had set up a base of operations, including a large monitor with controls so that he could observe and control the actions of Ultimo. He was well pleased with his creation as it swatted aside all efforts to stop it. His three super-powered minions looked on impatiently.

"So what are we supposed to do?" asked Blizzard.

"Yes, do you even have use for us anymore or shall we just sit here?" added the Black Knight."

"You shall stay and witness the power of Ultimo until I have need of you! Now depart from this room or keep silent!"

The three villains went to another darkened room and huddled together.

"I don't like this guy," said the Melter. "He's too crazy about his own creation. Before you know it he'll be swatting us like slave-boys and treating us like dirt."

"I agree," said the Black Knight. "But we can still combine our power if he gets out of hand. Is that a sound plan?"

"It's fine with me," said the Melter. "What about you, Blizzard?"

"Of course. Even with his ten rings, the Mandarin can't fight all three of us, especially if we catch him by surprise."

They heard the Mandarin exclaim something

"What is he ranting about know?" groaned the Melter.

"I heard the word Avengers in there," claimed Blizzard. "Maybe they'll destroy Ultimo and then we can be the ones to destroy Iron Man and whoever is with him."

"I sure hope so."

**Just Outside New York City**

Ultimo was nearing the largest city in America when from out of nowhere the Avengers attacked in a specialized jet. The one-hundred and four foot tall colossus revealed one of its abilities, a breath of chemical flame. The jet was horribly seared and four figures ejected, two using parachutes.

"I have slain many giants and you shall be no different!" exclaimed Thor as he threw his uru hammer. The powerful weapon bounced off the machine's metal hull.

Thor's eyes went wide as his hammer returned to his hand. "What bedevilment is this? I did not think that Tony Stark himself could devise of such a strong metal!"

"He didn't," said Iron Man as he jetted out of the way of a punch from Ultimo. "This is the Mandarin's doing. I think we've got a full-scale genius or magician against us!"

Thor went in closer and slammed his powerful hammer against Ultimo's head several times, but to no avail. The behemoth also fended off Iron Man's repulsor blasts. The armored superhero went lower, hoping that his legs would be a more vulnerable spot. Here he saw Captain America and the Black Widow standing with their mouths agape as Cap's invincible shield proved as ineffective as Thor's prized weapon.

'Not much luck down here, eh Cap?" asked Iron Man as he landed on is feet. "What do you think we should do now?"

"Use your magnetic beam on his legs! That may work! Black Widow, I think you and I should get back further! We aren't helping much here!"

As the two ground-based heroes (actually one just seemed to be a mercenary) stepped back, Iron Man turned on his magnetic ray, cursing at himself for forgetting about this weapon. As Ultimo swatted and blasted away at Thor, its legs started to shake from the magnetic beam. It started to slow down, but then overcame the beam and went forward to chase after Thor. The Asgardian turned around in the blink of an eye and rammed full force into Ultimo's left eye, only causing a few sparks and nothing more. "By the Skies of Asgard, does nothing stop this monster?"

"I'm afraid not," said Iron Man as he flew up to him. 'Watch out!" Ultimo unleashed a chemical fire from its mouth again, almost hitting the iron avenger and engulfing Thor. The thunder god started to twirl in the sky, dazed. Another blast was fired at him, but he was shoved out of harm's way by Iron Man.

The two most powerful Avengers sped behind a half-smashed building, where Captain America and the Black Widow were thinking about what to do next. "He's immune to the hardest weapons and he is strong enough to overcome intense magnetism," reviewed Captain America.

"It's an it, not a he," pointed out Iron Man. "And if we keep fighting it, either we'll just waste our time or we'll be destroyed. There's only one way to shut down its rampage."

"And what is that, Iron Man?" inquired the Black Widow as she reloaded a grenade gauntlet on her wrist.

"We go for the head."

"By 'head' you mean the Mandarin, right?" guessed Captain America.

"Right. I'm going to locate the source of the giant's control center via my radio wave reader. Then we're going to take out the Mandarin and his goons and find the controls."

"I sense some wisdom in his words," approved Thor. "Let us now depart for a new and easier battle."

Once again the colorful quartet ran off to another battle as Ultimo continued his walk towards New York.

**The Mandarin's HQ**

The Black Knight entered the Mandarin's control center, holding his lance as a precaution. "Excuse me, Mandarin, but just what are you trying to accomplish with this thing?"

"Ah, you see, after he levels New York I will create an army and then I shall become the master of the world."

"And what do we get in return for our help?"

"You shall be lieutenants."

"You're mad. Nobody can vanquish the whole world. You still have Dr. Doom, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and dozens of others to contend with."

"You would criticize my power?"

"In this certain case, yes."

Sneering, the Mandarin raised his right hand and fired a ray of blunt force, knocking the Black Knight off his feet.

'That'll teach you to lecture me about planning! I have far more intelligence than you could ever hope to have, and you are perhaps the smartest of you and your two allies."

"I do not know whether to feel insulted or complimented, but you're going too far. The way you're doing thins you won't have a populace to rule!"

"I will not continue to fight you, finding it pointless. And I also see on my radar that Iron Man and his friends have located my base. I believe that it is time for you to gather the others and confront them while I complete my orders for Ultimo."

"As you wish."

Another battle was about to begin, and this time Iron Man had help.

Part Three: The Fate of New York

Iron Man and Thor, with the Black Widow and Captain America riding them, flew towards the abandoned building now serving as the mandarin's headquarters. Captain America, following his natural instincts, barked out some orders.

"Thor, rip open the building! I will be behind you while Iron Man and the Black Widow circle around to get in another way!"

The four put the basic plan into action, but were halted on both fronts. A large icy boulder shattered all over Thor, sending the blond Asgardian falling to the ground. Iron Man was enveloped by a ray from the Black Knight's lance. The winged horseman paused in mid-air to confront the Black Widow.

"Natasha Romanov, the woman who failed utterly where the Black Knight almost succeeded. I will prove to you why I was better hired help."

"Let's see how confident you are when I unhorse you."

The Black Widow, in the blink of an eye, fired out a coil which speedily constricted around the Black Knight's waist. She pulled hard and he was nearly torn off of his horse.

"How did you…?"

"I've practiced more since Iron Man nearly caught me. Now I can stand up to you people."

"What about standing up to me?" bellowed the voice of the Melter. The Black Widow dodged a melting ray, this one coming from the Melter's hand-held gun. Iron Man whirled into action and blasted apart the earth beneath the two villains, sending them into opposite directions. He used his rear-view monitoring systems to check up on Thor and Captain America. They were trying, but failing, to snatch a speeding Blizzard. He locked onto the cold villain with a heat-seeking missile and shot it off. The missile just twirled in the air and exploded after going for about ten feet.

Iron Man was shocked. "What?"

He deduced what had happened quickly. The missile was meant to lock onto sources of heat, but Blizzard's ice gear made his aura below-zero degrees. To test his theory Iron Man switched to infra-red and indeed the Blizzard was completely absent from his rear-view monitor. This study only took a few seconds and he went back to battling, facing a Black Knight once again properly seated on his horse. The Black Widow was firing off a pistol at the Melter while rolling behind a fallen beam.

Iron Man fired off some repulsor blasts, which his aerial adversary dodged with ease.

"Same old, same old, Iron Man!" shouted the Black Knight as he aimed his lance, firing a large pellet. The pellet exploded, releasing a see-through sheet secreted with an adhesive. Iron Man was engulfed and found himself stuck to the ground, unable to break free. The adhesive clung to his armor and bogged him down. The Black Knight projected an electrified blade from his lance and zeroed in on the trapped hero. Tony Stark closed his eyes, but opened them when he heard a loud thud in front of him. Captain America's shield had knocked the Black Knight aside. Overhead he saw Blizzard sailing through the air, apparently knocked back by Thor. The Melter melted the Black Widow's cover and heated up her gun, causing its many parts to fuse and rendering it useless.

"I have faced the fires of Surtur, wicked Melter! You shall be a far easier matter!" shouted forth Thor as he charged at the helmeted villain with his enchanted uru hammer.

"That hammer won't be worth scrap metal when I take it out!' growled the Melter as he fired his chest beam at the hammer. Nothing happened to the mystical weapon and the super-villain stood there with his eyes wide open in shock. He was saved from a nasty blow to the head by a hail of icy spikes. These spikes slowed down the thunder god and the Melter, seeing the delay, ran off. The Black Knight charged at Thor and fired several of his weapons, disorienting the Asgardian. Iron man continued to think of a way to escape the adhesive net. His magnetic beam wouldn't do any good against something that wasn't metal and he couldn't raise his arms to fire his repulsor blasts.

The Melter confronted Captain America and fired his chest-beam at his shield. As with Thor's hammer, the unbreakable object failed to wither under the heat beam.

"S—t! How come none of the metal around here is melting?!"

"Maybe you need powers like mine," commented Blizzard as he started coating Captain America in ice. Within moments the symbol of liberty would be frozen stiff. Now Iron Man really had to get free. He started projecting energy from his suit. It would drain away power needed for his life-saving armor, but he couldn't see a fellow Avenger possibly be killed by two of his enemies. The adhesive net, resistant to super-strength, burned up from the energy. Iron Man fell forward, firing off a repulsor blast at Blizzard. Captain America, safe from the ray, threw his shield at Blizzard, sending the fiend flying through the air once again.

The Black Widow swung from a high bar with a nylon cord, charging for the Black Knight. She was hit by the Melter's ray and all of her gadgets containing metal, including one end of the nylon rope. She fell to the ground.

"Finally, something I can melt! And now to give Captain America a hot time!"

The Melter started to battle Captain America. Blizzard and the Black Widow were both knocked out. Iron Man grabbed an emergency electric-pack and inserted his cord into it, making sure that nobody saw him do it. It wouldn't do for somebody to suspect that his life was endangered every day by shrapnel. Upon recharging his armor he flew towards the Melter, who was setting everything around Captain America on fire.

"Iron Man, search for the Mandarin! I and Thor will handle these two!" shouted Cap as he leapt over a wall of flame.

Iron Man hated to leave Thor and Captain America while they were up against the Black Knight and Melter, but he knew that the Mandarin and Ultimo had to be stopped.

**The Mandarin's HQ**

Mandarin watched his monitors as Ultimo trampled on some warehouses and set fire to a SWAT helicopter with its chemical breath. He smiled slightly in satisfaction as his monstrous creation neared its final destination. His calm observance was shattered when a security beacon began to flash red. Turning, he greeted Iron Man, who landed in front of him. "So we meet again. This time you shall not escape."

"Escape? I'm trying to capture you, Mandy!"

"Ah, but the tables can turn rather quickly, can they my armor clad foe."

The Mandarin raised his right hand and fired a blast from one of his rings. Iron Man speedily dodged the blast. Mandarin shot off some more, which his armored adversary continued to effectively evade. He realized that Iron Man was a worthy foe. Only he had ever defeated him, although their previous encounter was more like a draw. But now iron Man was directly threatening his schemes and for that he had to die.

Iron Man zeroed in, firing off some of his trademark repulsor blasts, but the Mandarin used one of his rings to form a shield, causing the rays to glance and shoot off in random directions. Iron Man activated his jet boots and attempted to circle around him, but was cut off by a skillful martial arts kick by the Mandarin. The red and gold superhero grunted as he landed on his back.

The Mandarin leaped at him, preparing to chop his body with his deadly karate chops, but Iron Man rolled out of the way and made is way for Ultimo's controls. The Mandarin fired a shield which encircled the hero and gritting his teeth pulled him back.

"You will not touch those controls."

"Wanna bet?" growled Iron Man. The Mandarin suddenly felt his shield being torn apart by some force. It must have been his enemy's magnetic chest ray! Iron Man seemed to intuitively press a special button for disassembling Ultimo if the need should arise.

'No! You've foiled my plans!" the Mandarin said as he watched Ultimo fall apart on his monitors.

"And now you're going to answer to the authorities."

"Never, Iron Man!" The Mandarin rushed headlong into a teleportation pad and set it to self-destruct as he zipped back to his Asian fortress. He could not believe it. For the first time he had been truly defeated. He cursed to himself. He would gain revenge. He would unmask Iron Man and then destroy whoever he truly was.

**Outside**

Thor's hammer made quick work of the Melter, knocking him out in one well-aimed blow. The Black Widow and Blizzard had recovered, but the female agent delivered an amazing combo of hand-to-hand moves to knock the icy villain out cold again. The Black Knight, not a fool, released a large cloud of disorienting gas from his lance and when the cloud was gone, so was he. Iron Man emerged from the hideout.

"You got them taken care of, Cap?"

"The Melter was a tough fighter," reported the star-spangled hero. "But we have him in custody along with Blizzard. The Black Knight got away, sorry to say."

"Yeah, well, that's not as bad as letting the Mandarin give me the slip. He vanished on some sort of teleportation unit and then the unit blew up before I could get at him."

"Don't worry, we've won," said Captain America. "Let's leave and let the authorities clean things up. I and the Black Widow have a mission to do."

**Stark Plant**

The ruins of Ultimo were being carted away by Stark International's construction unit, and it was taking a long time. Vanko and Harrow both wanted another crack at making the machine, but Stark utterly refused. As darkness fell, he approached Jim Rhodes.

"Looks like your doubts were correct, Jim."

"It was a lucky guess, boss. What happened to the Mandarin?"

"I heard he got away. This is the second time he's interfered with my company."

"The price of being famous," observed Rhodes.

_Next time Iron Man will be ready for whenever the Mandarin pops up again_ thought a determined Stark. He looked up at the sky and saw Thor flying overhead. He smiled as he watched his partner disappear in the distance.


End file.
